Forthcoming
by Danica Blazenka
Summary: Returning to Mystic Falls for a visit, Elena awakes to find she's been sent unwillingly into the past. Not only does she have to avoid changing past events; she must also deal with a cold and detached Damon who is the only one who knows she's there.
1. Chapter 1

**a.n.: **Another after season 2 finale story – can't you tell? (^.^)  
>This isn't a 1864 story, the 'past' will be set during season 1 (in the second chapter).<br>We always knew Damon and Elena would get together, just a matter of when. Yet there is everyone's reaction to consider and not everyone will be happy about their union. **Hope you all enjoy.**

**~Ѱ~**

**May 2014**

"Why is it so hard to pack things neatly in one suit case?" Elena wondered out loud as she stood back from her bed and the massive collection of clothes that suddenly seemed to be fighting her.

While Elena concentrated on the mess while trying to sort it out, a set of masculine arms wrapped around her waist before planting a gently kiss against her pulse, "Perhaps you're trying to take to much? We're only planning on staying a week, Elena," the owner of the voice argued.

Of course, girls and their clothes – she wanted to be prepared for the Virginia weather she missed while attending university. Of course, she wasn't about to admit she might be taking too much.

"Oh, and what are you packing? Black shirt and jeans…at least I'm trying to have diversity," Elena countered before turning to face him, "Damon."

"Hey, that outfit has worked so well for me over the years. And why mess with perfection when it got me you," he gave his usual mischievous smile before wiggling his eyebrows.

"You're outfit is definitely not the reason we are together," she answered back before removing herself from his arms.

"Not even in the top ten?" He asked, following her across the room to in front of her vanity.

"Nope," she smiled as he withdrew her back into his arms, smiling back at her through the mirror.

"Then why, pray tell, are we together, Ms. Gilbert?" Damon whispered, drawing out his slight southern accent.

"Because…I find myself infatuated with you and I might love you," she whispered back before she turned around to kiss him.

Damon wasn't about to waste any opportunity to kiss Elena but dreaded the knowledge he would have to cut it short of the usual average for their kisses, "You're going to make us late for the airport, Elena," he warned as she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt.

"I was on time for once before you came in here, Damon," she countered, emphasizing his name just as he did with hers.

"Point taken, but I'm already packed and it feels like your taking forever," he jokingly whined as she returned to her clothes covered bed.

"You're telling me a hundred and fifty year old vampire has no patience?" she smirked as she managed to zip the bag shut.

"For you Elena," he said as he picked up her cases, "I'd wait life times – but we need to get to the airport hence we are kind of in a hurry so – let's go," he finished before pushing her through the door of their apartment flat.

* * *

><p>"Welcome home!" Jenna greeted her at the door, Alaric not too far behind.<p>

"Hey," Elena greeted as she embraced her aunt and her future uncle, "So glad we can make it."

Alaric gave her a look at the 'we' part but Jenna spoke first, "Where's your bags?"

"She'll be staying with me." Right on clue, Damon appeared behind Elena with a "pleasant" smile, "Jenna, lovely as ever. So happy you two crazy kids decided to tie the knot after…well, everything."

"Damon what are you doing here? More importantly, what are you doing with my niece?"

"Well, I'm Ric's best man here and…I'm sort of seeing your niece in the romantic sense."

Jenna gave her soon-to-be yet possibly-not-now-after-all-this husband a look before turning to Elena, "I thought you were through with…vampires," she whispered, not too sure of the fact still.

"Jenna, things have changed and…Damon has been there for me," she tried to explain but wondered why she even tried. They knew this was the exact reason they kept this a secret from everyone, well – except Caroline (who told Tyler) and Stefan. She wasn't exactly looking forward to explain all this on top of everything from the past. Elena just wanted to move forward with her future.

"It's just…I knew Damon went to visit you in college but I thought that was just how Damon is not that he…does he?"

"No worries Jenna, my intentions with your niece are honorable," he tried to reassure her before glancing to Ric, knowing his friend knew how he felt about Elena but never brought it up to his girlfriend. 'Way to make things easier on me, Ric.'

"I didn't mean to drop this on you before the wedding I just…we should have thought about this more," Elena admitted as she took a seat on the couch – a new couch in her old home.

"No, no…it's okay. I can…kind of understand. Just a surprise after everything with Stefan," Jenna admitted as she grabbed a four glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Damon would never do that, he couldn't do _that_," Elena responded as Damon took the seat with her, lacing his fingers with her.

"But on to better and brighter things," Damon announced while gazing into Elena eyes before turning to Jenna and Alaric, "Your wedding."

* * *

><p>Elena took a deep breath before knocking on Bonnie's door, Damon's words ringing in her ears.<br>"She might not be as forgiving as Jenna, Elena. Bonnie has never been my biggest fan."  
>Yes, but that had been years ago – thought they had gotten past all that as they matured.<p>

"Elena!" Bonnie cried as she hugged her dear friend while Elena eagerly returned the gesture. While years and miles had separated them, seeing one another again seemed to rekindle the relationship even death and tragedy couldn't destroy.

"So glad you've come for Jenna and Ric's wedding. Jeremy is so excited he left as early as he could from campus. Unfortunately, he won't be here till before dawn," Bonnie informed Elena as she led her into the house. Elena knew this house well too – it use to belong to Shelia.

"You and Jeremy are still…doing alright?" Elena cautiously asked, not sure how much detail she wanted into her brother's dating life.

"The long distance gets hard at times but with technology now it's like he's in the room with me. We video chat all the time, can even sync movies to watch them together. It's been okay but it will be so much better with both of you in town. Do you know if Caroline is coming?"

"Yep, with Tyler in tow," Elena answered, not sure how much she should tell. Bonnie and Caroline really hadn't been talking when they went off to college. And Elena only talked to Caroline so much was because they happened to go to school in the same part of the state.

"God, it's been so long since I've been able to talk to her. Glad to here she's still with Tyler. Once they worked everything out they've been good for one another…other than Tyler possibly biting her," Bonnie mused as she fixed drinks.  
>"So this leads us back to you. How have you been? Hooked up with any college guys I should know about?"<p>

Elena released a forced laugh that sounded too anxious, unfortunately Bonnie picked up quickly on that fact.

"Oh god, you're pregnant?"

Now Elena was just caught off guard. "No Bonnie, you don't have to worry about that. I am seeing someone – someone you know," she admitted, but still delaying the actual truth.

"Oh really? So someone from town but I can't really imagine who – at least anyone off the top of my head…it's not Matt is it?"

"No…no, he never really talked to us after the whole finding out ordeal," Elena paused but Bonnie just gave her a look just asking for her to continue, "Before I tell you exactly who it is you should know he's been really helpful the last year with college and everything. After everything with Klaus and Stefan I don't think I would have gotten through it all without him. He's been there, never giving up and I just thought it was time I stop keeping him waiting and…"

Elena looked up to see Bonnie's stiffen stature and wide eyes – as if everything Elena had said physically hurt her – or maybe Bonnie had become overcome from realization.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked out to her friend, which seemed to snap her out of the shock.

"Damon…" Bonnie whispered before he voice gained strength, "Damon Salvatore? Elena, please tell me I'm wrong or at least, you're joking!"

"Bonnie, I would never joke about something like this." Elena paused to push a strand of hair behind her ear before she rose her eyes to her friend, "Everyone knows how he feels about me and I've grown to feel the same."

"But Elena…how can you be in a relationship with a man whose done…all those things?" Bonnie argued, she could never forget how cruel Damon could be even if Elena was willing to.

"Bonnie, he's changed – you know this," Elena's irritation rising – she thought they were past this, "And most of those things were done to save people we know."

"That doesn't absolve him of everything he's done!"

"I know that but I just thought you would be…never mind Bonnie, I'll see you tomorrow but my trip was long and I just don't have the energy to fight with you," she turned towards the door with a sigh, trying to release the anger before she left.

"Okay, I'll see you at Jenna's in the morning," Bonnie answered, knowing she would run into Elena when she went to visit Jeremy once he got home.

"I'm actually staying at the Boarding House with Damon so maybe I'll see you tomorrow," Elena answered.

"But Elena…" Bonnie began before Elena cut her off, "Bonnie, don't…just don't."

Elena turned back to her friend with a forced smile before she turned and shut the door behind her.

Bonnie watched the closed door for a while after hearing Elena leave in her car before she decided to act. "Sorry Elena. You might think I'm a terrible friend but…" Bonnie turned to her book case to retrieve one of her grimoires, "but you need to remember what kind of person Damon Salvatore really is."

* * *

><p>Elena climbed the dark stairs to Damon's room before the door swung open and she landed on the bed.<p>

"Hey," she smiled up into his clear cerulean eyes.

"Hey," Damon replied, smiling – possibly just to be happy to see her or the fact she was comfortable with his vampire powers, "What took you so long? Not that I'm trying to sound like the jealous boyfriend or anything…"

Elena just smiled as she situated herself on his bed before stripping out of her clothes, "Maybe I was out with some hot guy instead of you?" she questioned, playing into his game.

"Really?" he raised his eyebrow in challenge as he magically seemed to appear under the covers beside her, propping himself on his elbow to look straight at her.

"Yes, some hot steamy…fireman," she replied as she tried to stifle her giggle.

"Elena? You take writing courses in college and that's as original as you can get? A fireman, really?" Damon scoffed as he rolled back against his pillow.

"No, I was with Bonnie and took my time getting back here…I just don't want to talk about it," Elena answered honestly as she rested into the crook of his arm.

"She found out we were dating and she wasn't too happy about it," he figured out on his own. Yet when Elena gave him her usual 'look', he continued, "Sabrina is not fond of me and I could see that coming from a mile away – without my vampire abilities."

"Maybe if you didn't call her Sabrina…" Elena countered.

"You guys will be fine by the morning and this whole week you, her and Caroline with be buddy-buddy like old back when before…"

"Before everything happened," Elena finished for him as they settled into each other's arms for the night, "I hope your right," she yawned as she fell asleep after he gently kissed the crown of her head goodnight.

**~Ѱ~**

a.n.: So when (if) you look at the trends of stories written for Vampire Diaries, there are a lot of "send Elena back to 1864" stories (and I like quite a few). So I wanted to write a future story (just to contrast) but also a past story (because they're interesting) and then I came up with this (and I just don't seem to like Bonnie's character…).

**Hope you've enjoyed this story, thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**a.n.: **So this is where the plot official starts – decided to post the first two chapters together so you all got an idea of where this story was going.  
>Hope you all enjoy.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

Elena awoke to sunshine scattering over her face as she tried to escape them deeper into her pillow. The huge bed felt comforting until she realized it was drastically cold when she searched out for Damon's body. Elena turned her head to the side to find the bed empty beside her – in fact, it looked like it hadn't even been slept in.

Elena sighed, there were two possibilities. Damon made just his side of the bed and was making her breakfast or he woke up early to confront Bonnie. 'Oh, please let it be the first one,' she mused as she pulled on her jeans and one of his shirts on before heading downstairs.

Her heart fell when she realized she was in the boarding house alone. 'Maybe he left because he had best man stuff to do,' she thought even though she knew Damon would have left a note for her to find – possibly in the kitchen.

Sadly, there was no note but at least she could make coffee and then find her phone to call him. Elena turned to the machine and waited for it to percolate until the sound of the door closing caught her attention. "Damon?" she called out.

When he didn't answer she tried again, "Damon? Is that you? You had me worried when I woke up and you weren't…" she stopped as Damon came into view – his clothes were rumpled and he was swaying on his feet. "Damon?"

"Dearest Elena, why aren't you in school?" he asked as he went for his bottle of bourbon.

Elena ignored him as she took in his total appearance and the blood stains on his clothes, "Where were you? Why do you look like this? Did you and Ric go drinking or something?"

"The history teacher?" he asked in disbelief as he went to the kitchen for some glasses.

"Yea, Alaric – your friend," she muttered as she tried to figure out how Damon got that way – it almost reminded her of past days.

"Why would I be friends with someone like that? Some teacher at your high school that seems to have a thing for your aunt?"

The two stared each other down before Damon spoke again, "What the hell is going on here?"

"That's what I'm asking myself," Elena supported herself against the counter trying to figure it out. 'Did something happen to Damon's memories. He couldn't be hallucinating again, could he? Was he bitten by another werewolf?'

Elena was about to question Damon when she looked up with the answer staring her back in the face. A simple calendar with the month and year - January 2010.

Elena gasped as she took in the information. Damon wasn't the one in trouble, she was.

Damon took in her startled appearance but before he could say anything a familiar voice rang through the house. "Damon, you home?" Stefan called out, surely with his girlfriend, Elena, in tow.

Elena suddenly took off to the one place she knew she could hide from the current couple in Damon's bedroom.

Damon stared at the girl for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened before he gave up and answered his brother, "Yes, I am. In the kitchen."

Stefan appeared a moment later with Elena behind him, an Elena with completely different attire then what she was wearing just before she rushed out of the room. 'Okay, I'm confused.'

"What did you do today? Drink?" Stefan asked with skeptical eyes as Elena looked at him with her judge-y little eyes.

Damon just nodded before he turned to the obnoxiously loving couple, "How was school for you today?"

"Fine, just fine. Elena is still a little startled after the decade dance but I think we're closer to finding Emily's grimoire." Stefan said confidently as he turned to Elena, "We need to get studying, your place?" he suggested before Elena nodded.

"I'll be in my room…researching, I guess," he waved the couple off before he dealt with the other Elena that rushed upstairs.

* * *

><p>Damon checked every room before his own and that's where he found her as she looked under his bed. "What are you doing?"<p>

"My cell phone, I thought I left it on the nightstand with my purse before bed but it's not there, my luggage isn't here…this is like a bad joke," she admitted as she stood up.

"Tell me about it but that's not exactly what I'm referring to. What are you doing here and more importantly, who are you?" Damon growled as he forced her against a wall.

"Damon, you're hurting me…" she gasped out as she tried to fend off his hands that were wrapped around her neck.

"I asked you a question…Who are you?" he stressed as he tightened his hands around her neck.

"How can I answer if you're choking me?" she countered as her lungs began to burn.

Damon reluctantly let her go but kept her in front of him, "Who are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me…" she began, "I can't even believe it."

"Try me."

"I think I got sent here…" Elena began cautiously, she remembered how unstable Damon could be and she didn't like the look in his eye at that moment.

"From where?"

"The future…our future."

Damon glared at her before his hands resumed latching on her throat with his bare hands, "You're right, I don't believe you."

"Damon please," she begged as tears began to well up in her brown eyes.

"Yes, beg me dear Elena, beg," he grinned before throwing her on the bed. "You're not Katherine, are you? No because she's in the tomb," he muttered as he gulped down his drink.

Elena tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes – at least she knew exactly when in the whole scheme of things. So this was around the time Damon was trying to open the tomb and Stefan and Elena gained his trust when searching for the grimoire – if they haven't already found it.  
>"Have you found Emily's grimoire yet?"<p>

Damon turned 180 on his heal with a solemn expression as he stalked towards her, "How do you know that?"

"I told you," she argued but all he did was roll his eyes.

"Then tell me where it is…if you're from the future you should know where it was or is," Damon smiled.

Elena remembered that smile of his, he still used it every once in a while when he wanted something but it never seemed to have such malice behind it as it did at that moment. "I don't know…"

Damon sighed before sitting beside her on the bed, "You said 'our future'. Why would we have a future together Elena, you're with Stefan."

"Not forever, I won't be."

"Why would I have a future with you when I have Katherine?" Damon barked and all Elena could do was look down at her hands in her lap.

"Do you think she's still going to love you after a hundred and fifty years? Do you think it really was love when she was with and Stefan?" she announced to him before looking him in the eyes.

"How do you…of course, from the future. So what? Katherine's pissed at me that she was in the tomb for so long so I what? Hook up with you?" Damon laughed.

"She's not in the tomb, Damon," Elena decided to inform him, even if this could change the series of events – it was the only way he would believe her and then maybe she could get back to where she belonged.

Damon stared at her with his cold expression, "You're lying!" he shouted as he gripped her by the shoulders, forcing her back on the bed.

Possibly once this would have threatened Elena when she didn't know how much Damon cared deep down, but now she would just defy him since they did it all the time for fun, "Well, I guess we'll find out after all, won't we?" she stared back at him.

But Damon just smiled, "So I'm successful opening the tomb?" Damon pushed back before appearing in front of the bedroom door, "Well, if you're truthful, then you'll be quite useful. Guess we'll just wait and see…" he smiled before shutting the door and locking her in.

Elena let out of frustrated sigh before getting comfortable on the bed. If Damon from the past wasn't going to help her get home, at least at the moment in time, she could take relief in knowing her Damon from the future was going to everything in his power and never stop until she was back home with him.

**~Ѱ~**

**a.n.:** So know we have 'old' Damon back and he knows he stuck with an Elena doppelganger (in his mind). My stories are usually ten chapters or slightly more – but let's see where this goes.  
>And I realize my time line might be off in certain places. I wrote this chapter and then checked episode guides but it fit so I left the 'errors' in. I'll try to keep it more in line with the show but if I can't and people complain, I'll tell them she's in an alternate but similar reality. : D<br>**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading.  
>{Enter shameless request for reviews} And hope I have the next chapter posted in a week.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**a.n.: **So we find out if 'past' Damon will trust 'future' Elena or just kill her? Will Elena be able to elude her past self? And what is 'future' Damon doing to find his girlfriend? Guess you just have to read to find out and oh, look! - Another chapter. : ) Hope you all enjoy.

**~Ѱ~**

**2014**

Damon rolled over to scoop Elena in his arms as he did every morning until she woke up, except that morning she wasn't in the bed with him. He sighed, maybe she went to call Jenna or possibly make breakfast. Damon laid back in the bed for a moment before he finally got up and pull on a pair of jeans. Running a hand through his slept tangled hair, Damon made his way down the stairs.

"Elena?" he called out only to find an empty silent kitchen. Panic soon rushed through Damon's veins along with adrenaline as he checked the house. All her things and luggage were still there and she wasn't in any of the rooms or bathrooms and he couldn't find any note left from her. Damon quickly found his cell to called Ric, hoping he was really playing the jealous boyfriend and was just overreacting.

"Damon, what's up? Thought I was going to hear from you later in the afternoon?" Ric answered, happy as could be. Damon took a breath - he didn't know. He couldn't be mad at Ric just because he was ignorant to his problems.

"Ric, have you heard from Elena today?" Damon said hoping she was sitting there safe and sound in the kitchen with Jenna and Jeremy.

"Uh, no. I haven't. Why?" Ric's concern rising – once you find yourself in certain situations like fighting vampires and werewolves, those feelings never go away.

"I might be overreacting but she wasn't here when I woke up this morning and I can't seem to find a note from her. Maybe she left in a hurry and I didn't get her text or…"

"Or she was kidnapped by some supernatural baddy we thought was behind us?" Ric answered his fears for him.

"Yea…" Damon muttered, he really did not want to think about it.

"Look, call Caroline and Bonnie and I'll talk to Jeremy and Jenna," Ric offered.

"And if we can't find her?" Damon asked, trying not to sound whipped or worried but dammit, this was Elena – his Elena.

"Then we found out why she wasn't there and we find her - period." Ric answered confidently, "We always do."

Damon offered his thanks to his friend before calling Caroline. Of course, Blondie hadn't heard from his girlfriend and sighed in defeat after he had to inform her all he told Ric already. Damon was just about to call Bonnie when he was hit with a gut feeling that maybe he should visit the witch in person instead.

* * *

><p><strong>2010<strong>

Elena awoke to an obnoxious nudging as someone tried to get her attention. "Damon, please, just a moment longer?"

"No deal future Elena. I went through this trouble to get you something to eat so you need to eat it and then answer some of my questions," he answered as he continued to nudge her.

Elena sighed, she had hoped the whole ordeal was a bad dream but reluctantly turned over to come face-to-face with Damon and a white paper bag. "Breakfast?" she guessed as she looked over the bag and its grease marks skeptically.

"I said I got you breakfast, not make it. That's Stefan's deal. At least I got you something in the first place. But hey, I thought you would be more cooperative if I got you some food. I'm that kind of guy." He smiled before tossing her the bag.

Elena looked through the contents to find a simple breakfast sandwich. She kept starring at the greasing bagel and melted cheese with some kind of meat in between wishing it was something Damon usually made her in the mornings. He was always a great cook.

But apparently she was taking too long in thought before Damon snapped at her, "Just eat it already before it gets cold!"

Elena couldn't help but glare at the man before taking a bite out of her so-called breakfast. Was that really the man she fell in love with? Well, she always told people how much he changed over the years. This just happened to be a very harsh reminder of exactly how much.  
>"What do you want to know?" she asked between bites as she watched Damon lean against the dresser.<p>

Damon smiled leeringly before stating, "Well, I should probably suggest you get dressed," he looked down Elena only in her tank top and boy shorts before continuing, "Then you're going to be my own personal soothsayer."

"Alright, I have conditions though," she stated as she finished her sandwich and pulled on her pants before reaching for the shirt she put on the day before.

"Is that my shirt?" Damon asked insulted.

"Sorry," she muttered before she returned the shirt to the chair she found it before turning to him. "I can't stay here," she demanded as she crossed her arms.

"Why not?" he asked as he took his shirt and threw it into the armoire.

"Because if I run into my past-self, it is going to cause some really complicated problems," 'Like when Katherine masqueraded as me…' she finished to herself, "And you can't keep me locked in here because then Stefan will become suspicious."

"You have a point though I doubt Stefan would ever figure out you're not 'his' Elena," he managed to get out while he tried not to stare at her. She really wasn't like Stefan's Elena though – she was matured in...certain areas and appeared older, more confident. It was kind of sexy – if it wasn't Elena he was talking about.

"He would eventually and I have no clue how long I'll be here, despite how much you want me to leave and how much I just want to go home," she admitted as her defiant stance turned to one of comfort as she hugged herself.

Damon just nodded, not feeling like correcting her, as he reached for a fresh shirt and handed it to her, "There's a bed and breakfast outside of town you can stay at for a while," he informed her.

"I don't have my purse, I can't afford to stay anywhere," she informed him.

"Elena, I wouldn't offer if I didn't think of a way you could stay there," he smirked before turning to the door, motioning her to follow.

"You're going to pay for my stay?" she wondered out loud – maybe he was closer to 'her' Damon than she thought.

"Don't need to. Vampire, remember? I'll just compel the owner," he admitted as they headed down the stairs.

Elena sighed in disappointment, 'Maybe not'.

* * *

><p>Damon drove his blue Chevy Camero along the only highway through Mystic Falls with Elena laying down in the back seat. "Can't believe you stuck me back here…"<p>

"You said you had to avoid your 'other-self' so I can't have you visible in the passenger seat. Besides, we're almost there," he said right before he managed to hit a pot hole.

"Ow! Are you sure?" she gasped out in pain as she almost fell off the back seats.

"Yes," he informed her as he stopped the car, "In fact, we're here," turning back to her with a smile, "Now, get out."

Damon quickly got Elena a room from the manager after being invited in and then led her up the stairs to a room in the back of the house towards the woods. Despite its appearance the room had a small refrigerator and kitchen and full bathroom with one bed just for her.

"Leave your window cracked so I can visit you later," Damon announced as he moved towards the door.

"Thought you were going to ask me questions?" Elena reminded him as she settled on the bed.

"Well, I'm going to come back later so I'll talk to you then." He stated as he opened the door but not before he left with some parting words, "Oh, by the way, I know where the grimoire is now. Thanks for your help."

Elena watched him leave, all the while shifting uncomfortable upon her bed. If he knew where it was then she knew what was going to happen tonight. Elena sighed, debating with herself as she finally cracked opened the window. After tonight, Damon might not be so willing to trust her.

* * *

><p>Elena awoke later that night to heavy footsteps pacing by her bed.<p>

"How can I trust you anymore than I can trust her?" she heard Damon spout before he stopped and slumped in a chair with the grimoire in hand.

"Damon? What are you doing here?" Elena asked the covers off her and got out of bed.

"You had me fooled, both of you. How can I possible trust you when the supposed younger version of yourself just betrayed me with my brother?" he demanded from her, his voice rising to an uncomfortable tone as he stalked towards her.

Elena took a couple steps back till her thighs reached the bed. All she could do was shake her head before admitting, "At this time, you can't. You can't trust me anymore than you already do."

"Then what's stopping me from just snapping that thin neck of yours?" he snarled while Elena could almost make out his vampiric features in the dim light.

"Same thing that stopped you from turning me tonight," she stated simply.

Damon's face softened as he stared at her curiously, "How did you know that? You weren't there…"

"I've told you before – I've lived through all this. I know what's going to happen over the next four years to some extent because I've seen it."

Damon gripped her arms, "I don't believe you," he stressed, his anger clearly visible once again.

Elena took a deep breath before she looked straight into his blue eyes, "Before we went to Atlanta, you saved me from my accident," she paused for a momentary laugh, "I ever did thank you, did I? You stopped the vampire and helped me…and I never said thank you. But anyway, you told me to take just a time out from my life, step away from it for five minutes and all my problems would still be there when we got back to Virginia. Then I saved your life and we trusted each other, almost became friends and thought we wouldn't betray each other's trust, but I did. And even after everything that happened, I still regretted betraying your trust that night…this night. You looked so disappointed I had nothing to say or excuse myself – even if I believed stopping you from opening the tomb was the right thing to do." Elena looked away for a moment, almost getting herself lost in the memories. Ones she shared with 'her' Damon.

"Then make me trust you again…tell me what happens," he urged her, gripping her shoulders tighter, silently begging and willing her to.

"Damon, I want to…"

"Then tell me."

"But that could mess up everything. Everything, every details, every misdirect…every death happened for a reason. And I wouldn't change anything because where am I or was until I got sent back here…was everything I could have possible wanted after everything,"

"You mean a future with me? How could you possible want that? Do you even know me?"

"I know the man you hide behind that vampire," she admitted as she tried to break his grasp. The whole situation was suddenly too intimate for Elena and she felt like she needed to deny things all over again like she used to all those years ago.

But Damon was relentless when he was trying to obtain something he wanted, "You mean my humanity? Elena, that's been gone for a while now."

"You think you have flipped some switch but you haven't. I've seen it. I saw it Georgia and I felt it when you held me tonight despite how scared I was it was all a show for Stefan because you would never hurt me…"

"Like Hell I wouldn't!" Damon argued as he pushed her back onto the bed and leaned over her, "Why do you and my brother keep saying that? You know how many people I've killed? Do you?"

Elena nodded as she tried to look into his eyes again but found she couldn't without tears forming in her eyes.

"Give me something Elena, something to tell me your telling the truth," Damon reasoned as he tried to ease away from her.

"I already have," she argued, now she just wanted him to leave.

"I don't believe that. I saw her – Katherine has to be in that tomb."

Elena took a deep breath. He couldn't change anything now since he already had the grimoire – a couple sneak peeks couldn't change the future at all now.  
>"Alright, alright," Elena gave in before as she got into a sitting position on the bed and Damon took interest in her words, "Right now Anna had probably just kidnapped me and Stefan has realized I'm gone. Stefan will go to the boarding house asking for your helps but you'll refuse – probably because you're still mad at him but he rescues me and Bonnie anyway," she stopped to compose herself – hated remember everything Stefan once told her Damon had said.<br>"You'll tell him you hope I die. But then later you meet Anna at the square and she'll threaten to kill me. For some reason, probably Katherine, you agree to help. I come to the boarding house and we talk about Atlanta...you put your trust in me again so we head to the tomb to meet with Anna and Stefan. Anna's already told you she just wants her mother out of the tomb but what you don't know is when she gets her mother out she'll tell you the truth about Katherine – how she won't be in that tomb."

Damon growled before gripping Elena's arm once again, "I've told you once, Elena. Katherine is in that tomb! I saw them put her in that church, she'll be there and I will release her, you got that!" he informed harshly before pushing her back flat against the bed.

By the time Elena managed to sit right up again, Damon was gone through the open window. With Damon so focused on Katherine he couldn't ask for his help to send her back. Bonnie wasn't strong enough yet and by tomorrow night Shelia, Bonnie's grandmother, would be dead. No one could help her. All Elena could do was crawl back under the covers of the bed and hope her Damon knew she was gone and was searching for her.  
>It didn't give her much comfort at that moment so she cried herself to sleep.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**a.n.:** I was going to stop at the last line break but I wanted to give you guys a longer chapter. Big thanks for the Vampire Diaries Wiki for existing so I can keep some of the continuity in check. Hope I continue to try to keep the time-line correct but I mostly going off of memory (which is about a year old).

_**Response to Reviewers:**_

_I wonder what future Elena will think of her relationship with Stefan now that she knows how it plays out, will be see how blind and judgmental she was?_  
>-She realized the faults of that relationship long ago (more detail in the future) but right now it's a game of avoiding her 'past' self and Stefan.<p>

_Does this mean there is no Elena in the future?_  
>-Only for a short period of time, Damon and the gang are going to figure things out eventually.<p>

_How is Jenna alive after she was sacrificed?  
><em> -It will be explained later along with numerous other 'flashback'. Yes, this story will contain flash backs.

**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading.  
>Thank you for your reviews, favorites and all the stuff at the bottom of the page.<br>If I know people are reading this story then that alone means a lot. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4

**a.n.: **I wanted this posted last Thursday but I got caught up in this fundraiser and sadly put it off.  
>Then I was going to post it Monday…and my internet went down.<br>So, despite all my excuses, I decided to give you guys some Damon/ Elena and another long chapter. Hope you enjoy and so sorry this is so late.

**~Ѱ~**

**2014**

"Bonnie Bennet! Dammit, open your front door or I'll break it down!" Damon proceeded to knock for what felt like the thousandth time.

The door opened to one irritated Bonnie, "What do you want, Damon?"

"Have you heard from Elena?" he pressed his hand against the invisible wall he found himself fighting against.

"Forgot you've never invited you inside my grandmother's house?" she smirked as she watched him squirm.

"Very funny, Sabrina…ha ha. Now please, Have you heard from Elena? She wasn't with me this morning and I worried…" Damon tried to get his desperation across as he explained the situation to her.

Yet Bonnie just scoffed as she crossed her arms in defiance, "You-worried? Yeah right."

"Dammed Witch! Answer me, she's your best friend!" he pounded his fists against the barrier.

"I did exactly what I needed to do. I needed to remind her!"

"Remind her of what?"

"Of what kind of person you are, Damon!"

Damon stared at her in disbelief for a moment before he snarled at her, "What did you do?"

"Do you really need me to _spell_ it out, Damon? I sent her back to when you were still acting as your true-self. The cold-hearted bastard who killed my grandmother," Bonnie informed him, standing confidently before him.

Damon clenched his fist as he tried to regain his control. He did not kill her grandmother anymore than Anna, Stefan and Elena had. Shelia had decided her fate that night – why couldn't her granddaughter ever get over that? But he couldn't lose his resolve now he knew Elena was indeed in trouble.

"Bonnie, how could you do that?"

"I already told you…"

"How can you send her back to a point in time I was probably the most unstable? What if I kill her, Bonnie? Did you even think of that?" he shouted at her through the wall, trying to make her understand.

"You won't kill her, you would never let her die," Bonnie tried to rationalize, her confidence waning.

"Are you so sure Bonnie? You're so convince I killed your dear grandmother, what do you think I would do to her if I find out she's from their future? Especially after everything with Katherine? How do you know I won't mistake her for Katherine?"

Bonnie slowly raised her hand to her mouth as she realized in horror what she had done, "Damon…I was just so upset that she would honestly think she loved…" Bonnie drifted off, feeling even more uncomfortable with Damon at her front door.

"I don't care. I want Elena back so get her back!"

"I don't know how…"

"What?" Damon was ready to kill her, forget all his promises and all his steps forwards – he was going to kill the damn witch. "Why?"

"I sent her there but I didn't see a spell to send her back…but I'm sure after a certain amount of time she will be sent back," she reasoned.

"Before or after she gets killed? Or unintentionally messes up that frame of time?" Damon argued; there were countless consequences to what Bonnie had selfishly done.

"Damon…I…" Bonnie began as she wordlessly gaped her mouth open and shut.

"Listen, just get to Jenna and Alaric's with your grimoires and I'll meet you there. Just hope you have a better excuse for Jeremy when you get there about why his sister is gone." Damon stated coldly before he left of her porch.

* * *

><p><strong>2010<strong>

Elena awoke again, poking her head out of the comforter to be greeted by another greasy paper bag on the night stand with a note attached. Elena managed to sit herself upright before noticing the bag of clothes on the floor near the foot of the bed. Grasping the paper bag, Elena took a look at the note as she unfolded it to read its contents;

"_**Thought you could use some clothes and food.  
>You've been right – so far. See you later tonight.<br>~ D**_"

Elena couldn't help but to smile as she remembered all the other times Damon had written her personal notes in the past…er, future. She decided to savior this moment before she went to the kitchen with the paper bag.

Along with breakfast, Damon had supplied food for her in the small refrigerator – even though the contents could only be used to make sandwiches, it was something. After Elena ate the breakfast, she decided she might as well shower. She would have to wait around until Damon got there anyway.

* * *

><p>Elena had curled herself nice and tight in the bed's comforter as she engrossed herself in some Jane Austen novels the pleasant owner lent to her from the downstairs library. Elena was so lost in the world of despair that finds love and happy endings it took an insistent rapping against her window to finally draw her from it. Elena had to set the book down and untangled herself before she was able to open the window for Damon.<p>

"I thought I told you to leave that window open," he reprimanded her after he was able to get inside.

"I forgot and it is cold out there right now. Sorry," she apologized bluntly before taking in his sadden features.

"Yea, you should be sorry after I got you food and clothes and…" Damon sighed before getting it out there, "You were right. She wasn't in the tomb," he admitted before plopping himself down in the arm chair.

"I acted so harshly towards you and I should apologize. You were just trying to warm me, to tell me the truth…but I do believe you now," he finished, looking up with you with his soul reflected in his blue eyes.

"Damon…" she had forgotten how much that night had devastated him on a whole – an hundred and fifty year searching for nothing.

He looked up at her hoping she could shed some light on the whole matter for him, hoping she would inform him on something he had missed. And after talking with Anna, Damon hoped Elena could tell him he wasn't some fool and he would get his happy ending too.

"She wasn't there and Anna told me she never cared. She knew where I was and never bothered. Does anyone honestly care for me?" Damon looked desperate for an answer.

"I care, Damon. I've always cared for you," she told him as she embraced him in another hug, just like the one her past self gave him that night – only this time he returned the gesture.

Damon pulled back before too long, "Could you tell me about what happened to you and Stefan?" he pleaded, not afraid to let his walls down now that his heart had already been torn out earlier that night.

"Damon…I can't. If I tell you too much, you might change something – even by accident and then I might not have a future to go back to," she reasoned, her exact fears coming forth.

"Just something, Elena. Please? Maybe you can tell me a moment that doesn't give too much away…like a scene in a movie without any spoilers?" he offered, anxious for anything she could offer him.

"Well, I guess I can tell you of the night I was actually able to break it off," she accepted.

Both of them sat down on the single bed in the room as Damon readied himself for her words.

"Okay, I'll give you some back story so you know at least why this happened," Elena began as she focused on different parts of the room – trying to think of the right words to say.

"Stefan had…left a couple months before," Elena began before Damon cut her off.

"Like he tried to do right after he met you," he smirked but faded when she glared at him. Guessing tonight was not a night for Damon's snarky comments.

"He didn't leave by him own free will. If you have to know he left in order to save you, Damon."

That statement got Damon to express shock as the words sank in; Saint Stefan did something to save Damon the Demon.

"He returned after this whole ordeal and I honestly thought he wanted to get back together but by then there were things already…developing between us. But when he came to talk to me um, he explained he realized we had both moved on. He began by telling me how much I had grown since we first met," –

"_I'm not going to be a ghost to you anymore, Elena," Stefan began after he entered and they had finished with the formalities._

"_The deaths you had to deal with right before and after you met me – when I came into your life you were lost and needed someone after everything. I was there to be there just for you when Bonnie and Caroline and Jeremy couldn't…but I'm not needed in that position anymore."_

_At this point Elena had tried to interject but Stefan stopped her. He knew she would argue with him so he could still be a part of her life – that's why he had come to her so she knew he would still be there but not as someone she depended on. She could be free of making that difficult choice – she was becoming a young independent woman._

"_I can't hold back anymore. And please, don't blame yourself, Elena. I'm not saying these things just to make excuses and I'm not leaving because of guilt or anger…I am leaving so you and," despite his willingness to say all this, saying the exact words was still difficult, "So you and Damon can have a fresh start. Depending on what you decide with your future with him, maybe I'll see you in a few years or decades…"_

_With that, Stefan had left, hopefully in better spirits than when he had arrived. Elena had shed some tears over the final end of one relationship but couldn't help but feel relieved. The weight had been lifted from her shoulders – allowing her to begin a new one._

Damon continued to stare at Elena as she described the event of that night in as much detail as she could. He couldn't believe Stefan would actually allow his brother to go ahead and be with his 'former' girlfriend. Even though Elena had been sparse with information, Damon could fill in the blanks.

"It had to be in relation with his lack of control with his blood lust, didn't it?" Damon guessed. Elena didn't exactly respond but her widen eyes gave him his answer.

Nodding, Damon did not pressing her for more detail with Stefan but he needed to ask, "Are you happy with me…in the future?"

Elena couldn't help the shy smile that spread across her lips as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Um, we do have our fight like any couple, I reassure you. But most of the time, you make me happy and I think I make you happy – you always seem to be smiling and making your snarky comments – in good humor. You never brood like Stefan does."

Elena's smile broke out to full on her face as she looked off in memory.  
>"I remember this one time I had just finished finals for the semester and," Elena had to stop to laugh leaving Damon clueless but treasured the thought that something he must have done would make her that happy. Yet the joyful memories only led back to tears that he wasn't exactly there with her.<p>

After Elena calmed down with some half hearted pats on the back, Damon asked, "We'll figure out a way to get you back, I promise."

Elena couldn't help but smile and slightly shiver as he reminded her of her own Damon, especially when he brushed some locks of hair behind her ear.

"I'm just glad I have you here…and that you trust me now," she admitted.

Damon gently cupped her cheek as he ran his thumb along her skin as he wiped the remains of her tears away. "You're welcome," he responded as he leaned closer to her.

Elena knew she should have stopped him from placing his lips upon hers in a gentle kiss but half of her wanted to be comforted by him and the other half was befuddled that he would do it in the first place.

The fact that this version of Damon was showing affection towards her took Elena back for a moment. The kiss was soft and sweet to begin with until Damon required more attention from her. While he had been gently caressed her face with his hand, his thumb on her cheek he wrapped his other arm around her waist. Damon continued his advances as he lowered Elena against the comforter, pressing against her as he began to kiss down her neck.

"Damon…" Elena sighed as she found herself lost in the moment with him. Elena pulled back as she gasped for air.  
>"Damon…we should stop," she was finally able to speak before he kissed any lower.<p>

Damon looked up at her with worry briefly flashing in his eyes, "I thought you cared…"

"I do," she insisted as she pulled herself upright against the headboard, "But we cannot do this…not now."

"Right…is this just a game to you?" he growled as he pushed her harder into the bed.

"What? Of course not, Damon."

"Then why can't we be together right now? Why did you stop me kissing you when you so obviously enjoyed it."

"Because Damon…I'm not Katherine. And you're not my Damon…not yet. You only kissed me because you didn't find her…because she wasn't there for you but I was."

Damon pulled back and sped towards the window, "You mean…I'm not good enough for you."

"Damon, that's not what I said."

"But it's what you meant. I'm not good enough for anyone. Not Katherine, not Stefan, not you…"

"Damon…" Elena tried to interject, this was exactly why she wanted to stop before he began to feel this way, but it seems she was too late.

"If you excuse me, I need a stiff drink and some co-eds. Good night Elena," Damon stated coldly before leaving through the window.

Elena didn't know what was worse – his distrust, his anger or when he was emotionless like he had been just now. She decided to leave the window open, hoping the cool air would calm her down and bring her some peace as she slipped back into bed with tears streaking down her face.

Damon stood outside for a moment, leaning against a tree as a silhouette in the night. He sighed, knowing his actions were incredibly selfish as he focused more on his own problems than her dire ones. Yet, what made Damon feel worse was this was the second night he left Elena alone to cry herself to sleep.

**~Ѱ~**

**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading.  
>{Insert shameless plug for reviews}<strong>

_**To Reviewers/ Readers:**_

_**This story is, as of right now, takes place during season 1 and depending on how this all goes-Should this go on to season two? And should we bring in Katherine? (Don't know if three faces that look like Elena might be too much) Those who let me know, thank you.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**a.n.:** This chapter is all 'future' Elena. There are some intimate and disturbing flashbacks but they are not detailed. So I'm still keeping it T rated for now. I will change the rating to M once we reach that chapter so this is an early warning for those who might not want to read such material. Again, this chapter is still rated T.  
>Enjoy. : )<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

Elena didn't sleep much that night. It's not like she didn't want to sleep with everything weighing down upon her, she just couldn't. After all the drama and deaths, it was almost comical that once Elena had found happiness and some stability in her life - it all goes to hell. She wasn't sure she could stand reliving through her past again. She felt like emotionally it would destroy her even if she wasn't the center of it again.

Elena sighed as she took out a pad of a paper knowing the only way she was going to get any sleep is if she exhausted herself trying to figure out the time line and events from years past. Then possibly she could avoid changing things while she was here.

By the time morning came, Elena had managed to get some slumber even if it wasn't the deep reviving kind she desperately needed.

The day followed with severe thunderstorms and pounding rain that drowned out every other sound in the small room. Strangely, Elena remembered this storm – Stefan had asked her to stay the previous night so they had spent this day cuddling in his room. It was always a beloved memory because it was one of the days Stefan and she just talked about nothing at all. It was days like those that made their relationship seem so real and stable.

Of course, memories of Stefan lead to memories of Damon. Elena tossed the note book back onto the table and moved into the kitchen. She felt guilty that the two brothers always seemed linked in her memories…and her heart.

Yet the more Elena thought about it she realized that even though memories of Stefan led to Damon, memories of Damon only led to more times Damon and she spent time together.

Elena quietly made herself a simple sandwich to eat before she settled in the reclining arm chair. She watched the rain pelt the glass window before she lost herself in the memories.

* * *

><p><em><strong>2012<strong>_

**D**_amon sat close to Elena, rubbing her back in comfort as she calmed down from crying again over Stefan. Never inserting one of his innuendos or quips about how he was in her room, he would just sit and be there with her – letting her know she wasn't alone._

**T**_hen when her senior year was coming to a close and friends were choosing their futures, Damon encouraged her to take up writing when she hadn't a clue what she wanted to do. Was her future supposed to be all planned out at this point? Without Stefan? She didn't know. Her life had been filled with the supernatural and death for so long, she wasn't sure if she could do anything remotely considered normal. _

_Yet, Damon insisted with applications and even submitting a couple short stories to some magazines, he was always reassuring her – always there for her. Eventually she got into a writing program at some local satellite college. _

**T**_he multiple times her dragged her out of the house to do something 'fun' so she wasn't mopping when they were not looking for Stefan. The way he made sure to say something offensive and sarcastic to her that, in a strange way, always seemed to make her laugh for a moment right before she slapped in the arm.  
><em>

**T**_he night she wishes she could go back.  
>Elena (or rather Caroline and Bonnie) decided to have a send off before they went off to college. They started to play pool, drinking, flirting shamelessly with boys they didn't know and would never see after that night. Of course, Damon made an appearance – saying he only showed up to put Tyler and Jeremy's fears to rest but she knew he was worried too. <em>

_She poked fun at him, telling him he was becoming a jealous boyfriend.  
>He smirked before informing her, "All of the duties but none of the benefits". Sure to include that thing he did with his eyes that always made her knees go weak.<em>

_It was a stupid drunk idea to take him back to her room later that night with the lie that she wanted to just talk. But her friends (and her brother) were together and gone for the night, and she was feeling so lonely._

_She still felt the heat of him behind her on the back of her neck as when he had attempted to teach her how to play pool at the bar, silently wish he would just turn her around and kiss her while she drunkenly tried to land the ball with the uncooperative cue.  
><em>

_Finally gathering enough courage and stupidity to reach up and kiss him. Fighting with him as his first reaction was to pull back in surprise. _

_Wearing him down before he gave into the pressure and desire, climbing into her bed after her. The desperation and build up as they stripped out of each others clothes. Only sparing touches to runs her hands down his chest and through his hair. Frantic kisses so there was no need to speak. Yet, in the back of their minds there was the nagging feeling that the timing of this whole ordeal was wrong. _

**U**_nfortunately, this was realized consciously in the morning light.  
>Damon slowly untangled himself from Elena before retrieving his pants, silently moving around her room even though she was already awake.<em>

"_You're leaving?" she asked, not bothering to move to look at him._

"_Elena…this was a mistake," he rationalized, sitting on the bed to pull on his boots._

"_Mistake? Really Damon?" Elena hissed as she sat up only to be answered with Damon's cold shoulder._

"_Elena…you never broke things off with Stefan, really never got over him. I shouldn't be with you…like this. I can't have a relationship with you, Elena." _

"_Oh there is no relationship. It was just sex, Damon." She mocked him, hurt and bitter by his choice of words. _

"_Elena…" he stressed, even though he could say cruel things at times – he wouldn't allow her to._

"_Don't worry about it, Damon," Elena mocked as she moved around her room, collecting scattered clothes, "Just a send off before I leave Mystic Falls behind."_

_After her statement, Damon finally spared a look her way – skepticism evident in his eyes._

"_I'm moving out of here and into an apartment so I'll be closer to campus. I'm leaving this town, the memories…and you, Damon," she clarified for him._

_Damon quickly sped to her, gripping her shoulders, looking sternly into her eyes, "You keep thinking you can just kick me out of your life whenever you want to Elena. Fine then, I'm out. Glad you gave me one hell of a send off before you go."_

_He let go of her with a harsh shove before he moved towards her window before finishing, "Just remember – I'm not going to save your life if I'm no longer a part of it." Then he was gone._

_Elena couldn't remember at time she cried as hard as she did whilst packed her things. She wondered if she had broken the final straw in Damon and her fragile relationship. Or possibly worse, what if she finally broke him?_

**H**_e kept to his words and even after two months later, after she settled down in her place Elena didn't hear anything from Damon until she heard from Alaric and Jeremy._

_Her knees gave out as she clenched the phone, mouth gaped wide as her breath hitched._

_Stefan had come back to Mystic Falls to collect his brother for Klaus. _

_Despite Ric pleading with Elena to come home where they could protect her, she stayed in her small apartment until Stefan appeared for her as well._

**T**_he scent of metal overwhelmed Elena as she returned to aware thinking. Iron…copper…rust mixed with the salt of sweat replace the air in the room. _

"_Elena…I thought …but you wouldn't …let them…What is with you…self sacrificing your…Elena?" she heard a dry masculine voice call out to her from across the room. Thought, she seemed to be having problems making out his words as she slipped in and out of consciousness._

_Elena couldn't move her body, not yet, but could tilt her head in the direction of the opposite wall where the voice originated from. Only, she wished she hadn't._

_The image before her was something she could never unseen and it broke her heart. Every word she said in bitter distrust to him before in their stupid tryst she wish she could take back – especially if it meant he wouldn't be in the position he was in now._

_Elena needed this to stop…she wanted this to end…_

**~Ѱ~**

**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading. **

_**To Reviewers/ Readers:**_

_**Last chapter I asked if I should bring Katherine in and if I should continue this story into season 2.  
>Well, reviewers gave their opinions. Sadly, I wanted Katherine in this story somehow but the reviewers expressed that her in the past would be too much. So I think I've reached a balance compromise. Also, I think I can include things from season 2 along with season 1 and keep everything coherent. Hopefully…we'll see. **_

_**Thank you to **_BadBoysAreBest, EtherealDemon, Pretty-Tweety, Crimson-Kiss17, Guinevere.S, ayna93, sheynondoah, 000janedoe000, nicole317, and kat _**for your reviews. (So far)**_

_**And thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and alerts.  
>Hopefully next chapter - this Friday Saturday. **_


	6. Chapter 6

**a.n.:** Yes, this is slightly later than promised. Sorry. But technically it's early since you, readers, only had to wait five days.  
>The time line is now between "A few good men" and "There goes the neighborhood" – getting to "Let the right one in" pretty soon.<br>This chapter is focused more on Damon (not all of it though).  
>Hope you enjoy this one. : D<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

Damon waited for the rain let up from in front of the windows in the boarding house living room, trusted scotch in hand. He should have left the house earlier that morning but maybe he was being masochistic that day. He could had been having some delicious co-eds over like he had been that last couple of days since finding out about Katherine and the tomb.

Instead, he was torturing himself while Stefan and the lovely Elena were being overly cuddly and obnoxious that particular afternoon. He didn't know what was worse – when they were giggling and laughing like two love high teenagers or when they tried, and failed miserably, to be quiet because they knew he was around.  
>Sometimes, Damon really hated being a vampire.<p>

As the rain slowed down to a light trickle, Damon decided it was best to make his escape. With a quick call up to Stefan and Elena he was leaving and his jacket, Damon exited the house.

After he climbed into his Camero and messed with the settings, Damon tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in a non-rhythmic pattern. He wasn't sure where to go. He didn't feel like the Grill that early in the day and there were no longer any leads to track down on how to open the tomb. That only left him one option – Elena. Well, future Elena to be specific.

The matured Elena had a lot on her younger self in Damon's opinion and recently she occupied some of his thoughts and time, especially when he was alone.

He didn't know how many times he repeated their kiss when his eyes were blissfully closed. Yet, that memory always led to the current Elena.

Even though her focus always seemed center on Stefan, Damon could remember moments that were just consisting of him and her.

**W**_hen he put on that gentleman façade the first time he met her. Most people wouldn't have been adventurous enough on their own to enter a house such as theirs. But she was, had spunk and was courteous too; he could tell he was going to have a lot of fun with her._

**C**_oming over unannounced to dinner intending to make Elena question Stefan's every move but instead she got him to open up – sparing him a fleeting moment of her kindness._

**Y**_et he still went and influenced her dreams, he still snuck into her bedroom after he had been invited in while she was sleeping, and he had tried to compel her into kissing him at the football game._

**W**_hen she showed her spunk again as she confronted him about his treatment of Caroline. Then their first meeting after Stefan finally confessed who he was to Elena, sending Jeremy up to his room when Damon entered. Proving to him again and again her family and friends come first._

**T**_heir time in Georgia together when just for a moment Elena let loose, had some fun and at the end of it saved his life to boost. _

**H**_e only wished now that he hadn't been so focused on Stefan aw well, trying to bring his vampire to the surface and bury his humanity. He wished he just paid a little more attention to Elena and didn't view her as a potential play thing. _

**A**_nd then there was his favorite (so far) – when she comforted him after they opened the tomb. She whispered a simple "I'm sorry" in his ear before drawing him into a friendly hug, even while his brother watched from a few feet away. She ever seemed to fail to amaze him. He hoped she never would. _

During the ride over to the bed & breakfast, Elena proceeded to invade his thoughts like many times before. He couldn't help wonder why she affected him so much. Was it because she resembled Katherine? Was it because he met a future version of her? He doubted those reasons though.

Maybe it was her overwhelming kindness. Even when he acted like as ass she still assisted him when he asked for it. He could lie and say he didn't enjoy the feel of her hands on his chest. Though now he wished he hadn't faked being drunk…and possibly hadn't turned her biological mother into a vampire. Though in his defense – he didn't know it was her mother (not Alaric wife) at the time.

Eventually, Damon reached the bed and breakfast, slowly pulling his car onto the shoulder of the road before shifting into park and stepping out. He made his way to her back room only to find the lights off and the window locked.

Damon had been ready to just turn back, maybe go to the Grill as his only option, until he heard the soft murmurs of distress from her sleep.

"Dammit," he cursed at her stupidity, sleeping in such an uncomfortable arm chair. He couldn't leave her like that, not after he left her crying twice since she appeared.

Damon rounded to house to the front. To his luck, the owner was in one of the front rooms quietly cleaning. He made his quick introduction, explaining about his 'friend' staying there, how he worried about her and she wasn't answering her phone.

The nice little owner nodded in understanding before leading him up to her room and opening her door for him.

Damon quickly headed to Elena while leaving the owner standing in the door frame almost forgotten. Elena's body was twisted into a worse position then before as her face flashed in pain and agony. "Elena? Please…wake up now," he gently shook her back into the waking world.

Elena's eyes snapped open, tears already welling as she bolted straight into his arms, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

All Damon could do at that moment was hold her tight, stroke her back in comfort while he soothed her with words that were meaningless to anyone but her.

"Jenna and…Jeremy…Bonnie," she sniffled as she cried into his shoulder. He knew Jeremy and Bonnie and Jenna, Elena's aunt, but he had no clue why she would be crying for her guardian, brother and friend.

"They're fine, Elena, Jenna's probably at the house with Jeremy and Ric right now and Bonnie is probably safe at home."

"I know…but just remembering those nights…with Klaus…and Stefan…the sacrifice…the fight, they still haunting me and…" he voices faded off into deep sobs.

"Shhh, everything is going to be alright and even if it wasn't, I would protect you, Elena."  
>Damon wasn't sure what exactly what was upsetting her but he knew he meant his words – despite how strange they felt coming out of his mouth.<p>

Elena just nodded before pulled herself closer to him, thankful he was there for her so she wasn't alone.

* * *

><p><strong>2014<strong>

"I still can't believe this…" Jenna mumbled before taking a sip of her wine as the group sat around the living room coffee table covered with scattered spell books.

"After everything, Jenna, situation like this still shocks you?" Jeremy asked while he flipped another page of a grimoire.

"Yea, even after everything this still amazes me…but I was referring to Bonnie sending my niece back to 2000-whatever," she vented before downing the last of her drink. Alaric was quick to step by Jenna's side in support and comfort, knowing the wedding and all the planning had to be sidelined until Elena was home.

"Sorry, Jenna. We'll fix this, I promise," Bonnie apologized for what seemed like the millionth time.

"You mean - you'll fix it. You're the one who did this to her, Elena's supposed b.f.f.," Damon spat while he searched through a grimoire himself.

"Damon…" Jenna began to protest before Bonnie interrupted her.

"How many times do I have to apologize, Damon?"

"Until you fix this mess you've created and get Elena back! Then maybe a thousand more!"

Bonnie wanted to back lash at him; how he took and probably corrupted her friend, how he put her in more danger than Bonnie ever could, how several times he had tried to kill Bonnie and tried to turn Elena.  
>That was Bonnie's main concern – Damon would once again try to turn Elena against her will, or worse- with it, now they were dating and then he might just succeed. Then Elena would be stuck just like Caroline, having to feed off of people to stave off some dammed craving.<p>

"Guys," Jeremy stepped in behind his girlfriend in obvious support, "Despite what Bonnie has done, she's at least willing to resolve this. So let's just work together, get Elena back to the present and then we can yell at each other, alright?"

'Traitor' Damon kept to himself as he searched for some spell to bring his love back.

The three of them continued their quest while Alaric and Jenna made themselves busy in the kitchen. Before long a knock sounded from the door breaking the awkward silence that had filled the room.

"I'll get it. That must have been Caroline and Tyler," Jenna answered as she headed to the front door.

Jenna opened the door expecting a bubbly blonde and her tall lycanthrope boyfriend only to be greeted by a small brown-eyed brunette.

Yet, hopes were immediately crushed almost as quickly as they surfaced when Jenna found the light brown hair and green eyed boy standing behind her on the front porch.

The small woman stepped across the threshold, followed quickly by the boy, a sickly sweet smile displayed upon her face as she twirled her dark curls, "Hello Jenna. Expecting someone else?"

**~Ѱ~**

**Hope you've enjoyed, thank you for reading!  
>Feel free to leave questions if you happen to write a review, which I will probably answer below. <strong>

_**To Reviewers/ Readers:**_

_**BadBoysAreBest**__**, **__**loonynerdxd9**__**, **__**Jam Dourado**__**, and **__**ayna93**__** – thank you for your reviews – glad you liked it so much.**_

_**Kat**__**– Wow. You really got what I'm trying to get at. It's amazing to hear some people are not just reading the story but thinking and analyzing it as well. Thank you.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**a.n.:** This chapter and 8 will be rated T, but (how it's being planned out now) Chapter 9 will be rated Mature. So please note that for the future. I want to warn those who might not want to read such materials. I'll warn you guys again but I just don't want anyone accusing me they were not effectively warned - so you've all been warned now. :)  
>Hope you enjoy this chapter.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2014**

After entering the Gilbert home, Katherine glanced around as Stefan stood silently stiff near the front door. "Huh, it hasn't changed a bit in all these years…" she mused, still curling her dark curls.

"Do you sense trouble or is it just an app on your phone now?" Damon remarked, not bothering to look up at Katherine or Stefan from the book in his lap.

"Ooh, someone's a little on edge. Where's little Elena? She's missing from this happy reunion…along with blond-ie and her wolf boy." Katherine replied as she tapped one of her nails against her plump red lips.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Damon rolled his eyes as he set the grimoire down before turning towards the pair, "Why are you two here?"

This time Stefan spoke up to answered his brother, "We heard through the proverbially grape vine Jenna and Ric were getting married. We thought we pay our respects and support."

"Stefan just wanted to mail a gift," Katherine added with her usual disappointed expression, Stefan just shrugged at her input.

"It's been delayed," Jenna informed them, once again taking a position by Alaric.

When Katherine just raised an eye brow in obvious questioning. Damon finally decided to include them on their current situation, "Bonnie found out Elena and I are together now, got upset, and decided to send her back to either 2009 or 2010 – she isn't quite sure."

"Wow, you two finally decided to hook up together. Called it," Katherine smirked before grabbing a glass of white wine, "Cheers to you two."

"Katherine," Stefan warned before turning to his brother, "I'm happy you two finally worked things out…just can't believe Bonnie would do something like that to Elena once you guys were happy."

"That's what I said!" Jenna interrupted rashly, raising her hands wide in exclamation. "Well, it was," she defended herself after everyone just stared.  
>Alaric just smiled and patted her on the back, "I think you've had enough to drink, Jenna."<p>

Bonnie bowed her head at Stefan's statement, trying to hide her guilt and shame from the group but it didn't go unnoticed by Damon and Jeremy as the young Gilbert once again took a position by his girlfriend to offer comfort.

"Anyway…," Damon paused as he waited for the attention of the group, "We're trying to find a way to get her back here…so maybe if you guys could…I dunno, lend a hand?" Damon asked slyly before tossing Katherine a grimoire.

"Of course," Stefan smiled courteously, picking up a grimoire himself.

"Actually, could I talk to you outside instead?" Damon asked, motioning to the front door.

Stefan hesitated for a moment as he turned to Katherine as if to see she would behave herself or possibly asking for permission.

Katherine rolled her eyes as she spared a small smile in his direction before she cracked open the musty old book.

"Sure," Stefan simply stated as he followed his brother onto the front porch.

* * *

><p>The brothers stayed in silence for a while – reflecting, pondering, and figuring out their words so nothing would be misunderstood between each other.<p>

"Are you really here for the wedding?" Damon spoke up first.

Stefan just nodded, knowing his brother would see he had no reason to lie - though the reunion was still awkward for both of them.

"You're happy with her?" Damon asked next, thinking that would be a better direction to go.

Stefan smiled before resting his forearms on the railing, "Yea…we seem to complement each other quite well…"

Damon smirked as he quirked his eyebrow in both humor and disbelief, "Really?"

Stefan nodded after a having a slight laugh about it himself, "Really. After I was able to forgive her and we both moved on from the past, it was pretty obvious we balanced each other out."

Damon nodded, "Yea…you're sounding like some crappy romance movies Elena would never succeed in getting me to watch,"

"If you've never seen one, how do you know what the dialogue would sound like?" Stefan laughed as his brother pulled a face.

"And you and Elena also balance each other out…I guess that's where I got Elena and me wrong."

"What are you talking about, Stefan?"

"Elena and I were too similar, and yet didn't understand the other at all."

"And you understand Katherine?" Damon asked, eye brows rose in suspicion.

"As much as one person can understand another, yes – I do. Don't tell me you don't understand Elena?"

"What? Of course I don't. I just try my best not to screw up again like killing Jeremy again and I seem to be okay, most of the time."

"Damon…" Stefan sighed, knowing his brother had grown more than he was letting on.

"Not sure about Bonnie though," Damon remarked nonchalantly.

"Damon."

"I might kill her after this or find away to limit her powers…"

"Damon!"

"Like bandwidth…just so she's more careful with what stupid spells she does…maybe include blocking that aneurism spell she does too."

"Damon…" Stefan groaned; there was no winning with him. 'Poor Elena.'

"If you two are done bonding and catching up, I think we've found something," Katherine interrupted the two before she disappeared back into the living room.

The brothers shared glances of understanding and slight annoyance on Damon's part towards Katherine before the two rejoined the group.

* * *

><p><strong>2010<strong>

Only a couple minutes had passed even though it felt like an eternity, one Damon wouldn't mind spending if he could continue holding Elena in his arms. Yet, the moment had to come to an end as the owner still standing in the door frame cleared her throat.

"If you are alright now, dears, I need to get back to my chores…" she faded off before leaving the couple to their problems, closing the door on her way out.

Elena was pulled fully into the waking realm and realized where she truly was. She was in the bed & breakfast in the past instead of in her own time with her own Damon like she originally thought. With her illusion and hopes crushed, Elena pulled away from Damon and walked away to gain distance from him.

Damon nodded, trying to hide the disappointed look upon his face. While he waited for her to respond or even speak, a thought crossed his mind.

"Elena?"

She turned around, still slightly dazed, "Yes?"

"Who's Klaus?"

Elena's eyes widened as she resisted a face palm at her stupidity, "Damon…"

"I know there is a lot…about the future…you don't want to tell me. But…it's obvious there is something bothering you…I," Damon stopped, taking a moment to collect his words and thoughts, "I want to be able help you while you're here."

Elena took a deep breath before she took a seat on the bed, motioning Damon to do the same. "If I tell you what happened…you might try to change what has happened…and I can't take that chance. I appreciate that you dislike seeing me in discomfort but Damon- if you change things that are supposed to happen then…I might not have a home to go back to or I might just disappear all together."

Damon stared at her for a moment, "Elena…where would you get an idea like that?"

"One of my college classes I took…" she answered with a weak smile as she studied her hands in her lap.

Damon rolled his eyes before countering her notions, "I get where you're coming from…I guess. But Elena, if I don't know what has happened then how can we figure out a way to send you back? Do you even know how you got to the boarding house to begin with?"

Elena just stared at her hands, twisting them while an uneasy feeling rose up from her stomach, "Last thing I remember…which I think I've already told you…was going to sleep in your bed after I got back from Bonnie's. We came back to Mystic Falls for Jenna and Alaric's wedding, that's all."

Damon tried to ignore the feeling forming in his chest as he thought about Elena and him living together, being together – Elena willing to not only be in his bed but in his bed with him all night.

"Could this Klaus guy…could he be someone who could have sent you here?" Damon asked, looking directly at Elena with a strange intensity.

"Maybe…but he can't, he's dead now. At least he's supposed to be…"

"Elena, you're either dead or you're alive, its one way or the other," Damon pointed out her flaw in logic.

Elena gave short laugh, "You would think…"

"Well, if this guy is dead then why is his memory still bothering you?"

Elena sighed, typically Damon – never dropping anything till he was satisfied with an answer. "You don't know what type of person Klaus was…What he did…" Elena's voice faded off, not wanting to have those memories reemerge.

"Then tell me." Damon stated bluntly.

"I can't…"

"God Elena, you ask me to trust you but give me nothing buy scraps like some dog! You didn't even warn me about Isobel being your mother…or Pearl – threatening me today about the device…or the tomb vampires…" Damon began to yell as he stood up from the bed, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I told you I can't…"

"You know what, I hope you do disappear. It would make my life a hell of a lot easier."

"Damon…" Elena gasped, forgetting how harsh and cruel he could be.

"Everything has gone to hell since you've arrived. How do I know it's not because of you that Katherine wasn't in the tomb like she was suppose to be?"

Elena's eyes went cold after hearing his accusation, "Why do you keep going back to Katherine?"

"Well, it's been about Katherine for a hundred and fifty years, and I want her back…like how it's always about Stefan with you…"

Elena stopped as her eyes widened as his choice of words, "What…"

"You know what, Elena; figure it out on your own. I have better places to be," Damon concluded as he exited through the window once again.

Elena sat there for a moment, letting the tears run freely before wiping them away. She knew the only reason Damon had such an effect on her now was because she had a relationship with him in the future.

"Watch out for two tomb vampires attacking Stefan and you in the boarding house living room later tonight," she called out the window in clear rebellion before turning back to her thoughts.

Who was she kidding? He always had an effect on her. She knew now though, Damon just wanted to be emotionless and feel nothing in return. Katherine always seemed to make him react that way, especially after she returned to the small town.

Elena changed, thinking she might as well go to bed even though she felt like she once again would not be able to sleep. As she exited the bathroom, she past the arm chair and the pad of paper she had started on the night before with some events jotted down on the page.

Grabbing the pad, Elena climbed back to bed figuring she could write down what she knew. Forget trying to preserve the time line she knew, people got hurt and worse - died. Maybe this time around things could be different, for the better. It still made Elena uncomfortable to think about 'her' Damon not being there when she got back, if she even did. Yet, Elena knew she needed to focus on the present – even if it was really her past.

**~Ѱ~**

**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter and if you didn't thank you for reading anyway! **

_**To Reviewers/ Readers:**_

_**Yes, it was Katherine and Stefan – but I'm sure a lot of you guessed that. (kind of obvious...)  
>As for Bonnie – yea, she's going to have issues – I only touched on those but by the end of the story she'll change. (I'm not killing Bonnie…jeeze.)<br>Eventually, by the end of the story, some characters will go through some changes, hopefully for the better. **_

_**And once again, Warning: rating change and mature chapter coming soon. **_


	8. Chapter 8

**a.n.:** This chapter is set during episodes "There Goes the Neighborhood" and "Let the Right One In". Next chapter will be changed to "**Mature**" rating.  
>Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's another long one - longest one yet.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

Hours later, Elena once again exhausted herself writing and had fallen asleep with the tablet of paper resting against her chest like her journal use to do. Though she had stopped writing about the events she once went through, her mind still continued to replay the memories while she slept:

**2012**

**J**_eremy tried to keep a blank face as he faced Anna at the site of the sacrifice. "You don't have to do this…" he mumbled once again, hoping to speak low enough so Bonnie nor anyone else could hear._

"_Jer, you know it's for the best," Anna smiled as she stepped back to stand in the center circle. _

"_But it's not fair to you, Anna…"_

"_Jer, it wasn't fair the first time I died either. I've been able to say good bye and forgive people this time around. I feel, strangely enough, at peace. Besides, if my "death" for the third time can be for something…mean something. Jeremy, I want to do this…for you and Elena…and Ric."_

_Jeremy quickly embraced Anna for one last goodbye before taking a step back to get one last look of his ex girlfriend. He didn't want to say good bye all over again but he knew she had a point. Last time she died had been violent and just tragic- for so many people. That night a lot of people lost their lives, he almost did as well if it hadn't been for her. _

_Granted, he was glad he was saying good bye to Anna this way versus how Vicky decided to go out – being staked once again after trying to kill Jeremy (once again) for moving on to 'some witch' as she had put it. This way they were able to say some last words, achieving the feeling of finally moving on, of finding peace. Something Jeremy knew not many people could experience. _

_At least Vicky was able to say good bye and resolve some things with her brother, Matt and her ex, Tyler before she passed away again. Even though she made it clear she wasn't happy both had a thing for Caroline – for some reason she had something against Elena's trio of friends._

_Anna gave a sad smile and a short nod to Jeremy before motioning him to join Bonnie and everyone else there. Once Jeremy stood beside her, Bonnie opened her grimoire to begin her chanting but not before she glanced up at Anna for an extended moment._

"_Yes, Bonnie, I'm sure about this." Anna answered her assumed question, smiling at the woman she deemed was good for Jeremy to have in his life, even if she was a little bit older. Anna wanted to laugh – maybe his next girlfriend, if he got another one, would be his own age. However, Anna hoped Bonnie would be in his life for a good long while. _

_Bonnie nodded before she added, "Thank you for helping us with Klaus and everything, and thank you for doing this."_

_Anna glanced around the group, trying to give a reassuring smile to a solemn Ric and Damon and a teary eyed Elena. _

"_You're welcome," Anna simply said before she closed her eyes and Bonnie began to cast the spell._

**I**_t took Jenna a couple months to recuperate and finally come to terms what happened to her a year ago. It didn't help relationships she had with Elena, Jeremy and especially Alaric were strained and possibly even shattered before her death. So many lies and deceit had been exposed before her demise and Jenna was not sure how she was suppose to feel about that.  
><em>

_At first Jenna only warmed up to Elena and Jeremy, the only family she felt she had. She didn't feel safe around Ric considering a majority of the aspects of their relationship was built up on lies. Yet, he never stopped coming by to help out in any way he could._

_Eventually though, Jenna realized the most important part of their relationship was truth. It was the whole reason she forgave him right before she died. The fear of that death though had kept her paralyzed for those couple of awkward months, but Alaric never left her once, especially when she couldn't stand to be alone._

_One particular night after Elena and Jeremy supposedly went to bed, Jenna and Alaric stayed up talking in the kitchen with a bottle of wine._

"_Thank you for looking out for them again." Elena and Jeremy overheard Jenna tell Ric for the millionth time since she came back._

"_Jenna, I told you – There was no way I would have let Elena and Jeremy be by themselves in this house…Besides, they helped me get through…everything too…and it was for a little while," Ric informed her, smirking awkwardly as he tried to make the last year seem like no big deal._

"_Ric…it couldn't have been easy for you…after everything," Jenna admitted, referring not to not only to her death but also the permanent death of his "late" wife._

"_It wasn't…but I dealt with it. We all had to. Elena and Jeremy are really brave and tough kids…young adults. As much as I look out for them, they were here to support me too," Ric admitted with a weak smile – this wasn't exactly a conversation he was looking forward to._

"_Ric," she couldn't help the wave of emotions flooding through her as she looked at the man she could feel nothing but love towards him- even after the reveal of some of the lies and secrets he had hidden from her._

"_You know even though I've been able to deal with all of this, it's ridiculous but …since you've been…gone…," Ric paused to take a deep breath, keeping Jenna waiting a moment for him to finish. _

_Ric smiled, sparing a slight laugh, before he managed to finish, "I haven't been able to look at a single carton of Ben & Jerry's the same way."_

_Immediately, Jenna burst out laughing like Ric wanted – to see that smile and the certain twinkle in her eyes once again._

"_Ric," Jenna finally managed to get out as she wiped her tears away._

"_I know it' silly but it's true," Ric admitted, before cupping her cheek in his shaking hands, "And I can never be sorry enough for everything that's happened."_

"_Ric, it's not your fault," she replied as she stroked his hands – her eyes never leaving his._

"_I know but…"_

__"Marry me," _Jenna was quick to cut him off with her own confession…or rather, demand.  
><em>

_Alaric was taken back to a moment. His eyes going wide as he swore he didn't hear her right, "What? Jenna…"_

"_Ask me to marry you, Ric. Please. Just ask…I mean, if you want to."_

_Ric could only smile as she cast her eyes down to the ground – acting as shy as a high school teenager. He didn't need to be told twice as he got onto one knee and held her hands in his own._

"_Jenna Sommers…We've been through a lot and…would you do me the honor of marrying me…being my wife?"_

_New tears formed in her eyes as Jenna beamed a bright smile, "Yes…yes, I would."_

_As the couple embraced, the two siblings couldn't hide their presence any longer. Elena and Jeremy hurried down the stairs to hug their aunt and soon…their new uncle._

_It was rare to have such a wonderful, heartwarming moment in those brutal years. Even though it was a memory Elena could smile fondly at it, the dark moments of her life never seemed far from thought. _

_The unnecessary deaths…the lives lost…the close calls…the pain suffered through it all… _

**E**lena woke with a start, eyes wide with uncertainty as the dreams slowly faded from the forefront of her mind. Only resulting turmoil of emotions remained, making Elena a little apprehensive about eating anything the way her stomach tightened with senseless fear.

She felt the best idea at that moment would be a walk around the grounds of the bed and breakfast. The rain seemed to have let up for a moment in the early morning but Elena put on her jacket all the same.

The grounds weren't large or extravagant like the boarding house but there was room for Elena to stretch her legs and get some fresh air. She made her way towards the tree line of the property and just followed it, loosing herself in thoughts and memories.

Without warning, a hand struck out and wrapped its fingers around Elena's arm. Instinctively, Elena tried to pry the hand away before the owner stepped out from the shadows of the woods.

"Katherine," the man whispered as he grabbed Elena by both her shoulders to look her fully in the eye.

Elena wanted to faint, how she could have been so naïve to forget about the tomb vampires roaming around. Just yesterday, one of them would have mistaken her younger self for Katherine as well.

"I think…you're confusing me for someone else…" she managed to get out, hoping that would work as the skies darkened and the rain began to fall.

"No, you are Katherine. Despite the modern clothes and hair, you look exactly as you did all those years ago," the man informed her, tightening his grasp.

"Please…just let me go."

"Not until you explain…"

"I can't…"

"Then you shall pay for what you did along with your precious Salvatore brothers…"

Elena fought desperately against her assailant as he tried dragging her into the shadows of the forest.

"Hey, You!" An elderly woman's voice called out to the pair, shining a bright light into the man's eyes.

Elena took that moment to push him away from her and herself out of his grasp. She made a mad sprint towards the bed and breakfast owner before rushing through the door.

"Hurry…please shut the door!"

Luckily, the owner followed her request and closed the door as she re-entered the house, "Are you alright dear? Who was that man?"

Elena didn't answer; all she could do was hold onto the door's handle tightly as she scanned the yard and surrounding woods.

* * *

><p><strong>2010<strong>

Damon grabbed his jacket, slamming the door to the boarding house before getting into his Camero and driving off.

"I make her cranky? God, really? Hate to see what would happen if I actually managed upset her or even make her angry," Damon growled as he made his way to the bed and breakfast.

"No consideration for my feelings …no matter that I saved Stefan's life or how many times I've saved her life. What does she expect? I'm a vampire," he growled as he threw the car's gear shift into park.

"How do we ever manage to get together? That girl must live in some weird alternate reality," he muttered while slamming the door, heading up to the house as he thought about the 'other' Elena.

He knew he should apologize to her since she had warned him the tomb vampires attacking. Of course, he had every intention of doing so as long as his egotistical, self serving psychopathic mouth could keep shut.

Damon was just making his way across the lawn, reading himself to jump to her window until the owner ran towards him while a grim expression took over the old woman's face.

"There you are, thank God. I had no idea how to get in touch with you and…" she began to babble before Damon cut her off.

"What happened?" Damon bit out his words as he tried not to think of the worse that could have happened to Elena.

"She's alright, son – so don't threat; she's just shaken up. She was taking a walk and she ran into someone who upset her. Can you please come in and calm her down? I'm afraid nothing I have tried has worked so far…" The woman did her best to explain as she led Damon into the house.

Elena was curled up on the couch, clothes were dry and clean but hair was mangled and wet. Her dark head was buried in her arms a top her knees as she stayed silent and unmoving.

"Elena?" Damon was unsure how to approach her, the way she was then made him feel worse than last night when she was thrashing around in the arm chair.

Elena popped her head up with relief evident on her face at Damon's voice.

Damon slowly approached her before taking her into his arms, "Hey, It's okay – I'm here now."

Elena just nodded before she whispered in his ear, "A tomb vampire was here…he thought I was Katherine."

Damon eyes widened in understanding as he wrapped his coat around her before turning to the owner, his eyes dilating, "I think it might be best if she stays with me for a while. We are just going to get some of her things, alright?"

The elderly woman just nodded blankly before she left the two alone once again. Damon was quick as he urged Elena up the stairs to pack a few of her new clothes before leading her into his car.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" he asked as he began to drive to the boarding house.

Elena just shook her head as she stared through the window to the rain outside. Damon looked at her for a moment before he sighed, turning his attention back to the road. In a short while, Damon pulled into the driveway, got Elena's things and led her into the house.

"I went for a walk," she began once he settled her in his room, "I…just wanted to clear my head and he came out and grabbed me. He kept insisting I was Katherine…I was so stupid..."

Damon just watched her as she stared at her lap, "Elena…I should…"

"Is the other Elena, my past self, is she safe?"

"Yea, Stefan should be with her."

Elena just nodded as she stared at the windows before she frowned, "Wait…Are you sure he's with her?"

"Yea…" Damon just rolled his eyes, "I'm positive those two kids are just fine."

"Please…call him…or her. Please Damon?"

Damon wanted to gag at her pleading but how could he say no to that face? How could he ever say no to Elena? So Damon called his brother only to have it go straight to voice mail and then called Elena only to have her ignore his calls.

"I'm sure they're just spending some…quality time together," Damon just shrugged it off as he went for his liquor cabinet.

"Damon…I know you don't one hundred percent believe me but I think...actually, I'm certain Stefan is in trouble. You have to go get him," Elena pleaded, a flood of emotions returning to the sound of her voice.

"Elena…" he whined as he doubt his brother would be the one in trouble, then again – Elena had been right about Katherine.

"That guy…who attacked you guys with the woman Stefan killed – he grabbed Stefan in the woods and took him to a house on the out skirts of town."

"Okay, just tell me where it is and I'll go get him," Damon suggested, even if Stefan was in trouble, it should be easy enough to get him back.

Yet, Elena just shook her head, "No, you'll need Mr. Saltzman to help you."

"The history teacher, really Elena?"

"Please, Damon – you're wasting time!" she yelled in frustration as she practically pushed him through the front door.

"Elena, even as much as I love to see how much you obviously still care for my brother despite what you've said," Damon remarked before turning to face her – not missing the visible flinch at his suggestion, "I just can't leave you after everything you've been through."

"Damon, trust me, I'll be fine. I've been through much worst," she informed her, trying not to think about the last part.

Damon took a moment to study her before agreeing, "Alright, I'll go check Elena…present/ not you Elena before checking the so-called house, okay?"

Elena spared him a smile, "And don't forget, you'll need Alaric's help. He'll have vampire hunting tools you can use."

Damon just rolled his eyes stating, "We'll just see about that," before grabbing his jacket, smirking at her once more before he left.

Elena waited to hear the Camero make its way out the drive before heading back upstairs to his room.

The large bedroom didn't encourage many memories, most of those were made in her room or his apartment but it reminded her of Damon, and that alone seemed to offer a strange comfort.

Elena decided to settle on the bed, once again drawing out the tablet of paper filled with the now uncertain future. Hopefully her being there hadn't changed too much and Stefan would still be alive when Damon arrived with Alaric to save him.

* * *

><p><strong>2014<strong>

"That's great, but when can you perform it?" Damon asked Bonnie anxiously, hope clear in his eyes. It made the guilt Bonnie was feeling so much worse.

"Tomorrow, at the earliest but definitely by the next day. Hopefully, I'll have enough strength by then and the time where Elena is pinned down."

"That's awesome, Bon," Jeremy smiled at her, gently rubbing her shoulders with encouragement and love.

"It still leaves some details and issues to be sorted out. What Bonnie is going to do is only the first half," Katherine stated bluntly.

"But it is a start," Stefan corrected her before kissing the top of her head, "And it's all thanks to you."

"Oh, please, don't remind me," she scoffed before downing some more wine.

"It's getting late, so how about we regroup tomorrow morning so we're…er, the human at least, are well rested," Ric suggested as he took in the slumbering Jenna on the couch.

Damon nodded as everyone said their goodbyes before Damon headed to his car. He stopped short before he turned to his brother and Katherine, "Where are you two staying?"

Stefan just shrugged before he rubbed the bad of his neck with his attention to the ground, "We were going to stay at a hotel…."

"Stefan," Damon sighed, making Stefan look back up.

"The boarding house is as much as it yours as it is mine. You two are staying there so get in," Damon motioned him before he got behind the driver's seat.

"Oh, so I'm an actual guest this time around," Katherine mused as she climbed into the back seat after Stefan.

Damon just growled as he glared at her through the rear-view mirror, "Don't push it."

Katherine just smirked as she put up her hands in mock surrender.

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading!  
>If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in a review and I'll do my best to answer them. <strong>

_**To Reviewers/ Readers:**_

_**1. So someone finally brought up the possibility of two Damon-s…hmm, maybe. We'll see after we deal with the two Elena's meeting. *wink wink***_

_**2. This story is meant to be in cannon. At least until season 3 premiers. **_

_**And 3. I could answer more questions but then there would be major spoilers, sorry.**_

**And once again, Warning: rating changes to mature next chapter. **


	9. Chapter 9

**a.n.:** This chapter is taking place during episode: "Let the Right One In"; for the earlier part of the flashback – you want the end of Chapter 5.  
>Hope you all enjoy this chapter; sorry it's kind of late. The next chapter is almost finished though. : D<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

Damon returned later in the evening to find Elena lying upon his bed, curled up with a pad of paper beside her. He sat gently on the edge of the bed while taking in her sleeping form, moving a strand of hair from her face. The whole scene reminded him of the time after he had been invited it where he was invited into her home only to sneak in later to…creepily watch her sleep.  
>Quickly, he glanced away from her before taking a notice of the pad of paper.<p>

Elena removed her slumber heavy head from the pillow to face him with a sleepy smile, "Hey, you're back."

Damon drew his attention back to Elena, "And in surprisingly good condition too. Not going to have to replace my shirt again this time."

"I'm glad. I guess I was right about everything again?" she asked as she moved to prop herself against the head board so she could speak to him sitting up.

"Yea, well, you were almost right about everything," Damon answered her.

Elena's eyes went wide, thinking of all the possible things that could have happened or changed from her original time line, "What did I get wrong?"

"Well, I think you're wrong about Ric and I being friends…"

"Why?" How much did she screw up the events her past?

"Well, he punched me just a little while ago at the bar when I tried to befriend him…" Damon informed her before rubbing his jaw for her sympathy.

Elena let out the breath she had been holding with a short laugh before she quickly tried to cover it with her hand. She felt beyond relief, she hadn't changed anything at all.

Damon leaned closer to her, giving her a serious expression, "And do tell what is so amusing, Elena? Does the idea of Ric punching me seem hilarious to you?"

Elena shook her head, a grim widened upon her face as she tried to answer him, "Of course not I just…I wish you knew how great of friends you two become in the near future."

Damon just rolled his eyes, "I highly doubt that," before his attention turned to the tablet again.

Elena's attention turned too as she looked over the papers, wondering if Damon had read any of it…and if she should let him.

"I have been writing some things down," Elena answered, the curiosity evident on his face.

"Really, like what?"

"Um…" Elena stuttered before looking down to her lap, "The things that will happen in the next couple years…"

"Like us?"

Elena nodded before adding, "Like Klaus."

Elena lifted up the tablet of paper, looking over the first page before she handed it to Damon, "This should answer all your questions so, just take it."

His brows furrowed as he turned to her, "Elena, I rather hear all this stuff from you."

"But earlier you said…"

"Earlier I was angry and…just talk to me, alright?"

Elena sighed before she moved over enough for Damon to sit next to her on his bed. She brought her knees up the her chest in comfort before she began where he nightmares had stopped;

E_lena gasped as she saw Damon shackled to a wall. His skin pale as his body hung lifeless below his anchored arms. His dark hair matted to his scalp with blood crusted around his hair line. _

_Every bone and tendon in her body wanted to go to him, comfort him and sooth any pain he was in – but all Elena could barely managed was to lift her head to point her eyes in his direction._

"_I wouldn't bother trying to get up to rush to him, Elena..." the voice drew out as it called from another corner of the room, "You'll find your body is not going to cooperate with you- not after what I've done…"_

_The voice had immediate reactions with both Damon and Elena. Damon struggled against his restraints as Elena just stared in shock._

"_Stefan?" Elena could barely manage to get his name out as her eyes began to well up with tears. She hardly recognized the sharp dressed and slicked back hair man in front of her._

_Stefan smirked as he walked over to Elena, forcing Elena to lift her head with two of his fingers, "Hello Elena, how are you doing?"_

_Elena just grimaced as the sound of his voice – even if it sounded like him at the same time it did not. "I would be just fine if I could move…and maybe if you hadn't chained your brother to that wall."_

"_Hmm…maybe you would…but you're not going to be," he answered her with a sinister smile before moving away from her- and towards Damon._

"_So…have you two grown close since I've been gone?" Stefan mocked as he grasped Damon's jaw, "Katherine told me about your kiss."_

"_You've talked to Katherine?" Damon gasped out as he tried to move his head away from his brother._

"_Yes, I have. Fortunately, she didn't have a choice in the matter."_

"_Stefan, what do you want?" Elena demanded, drawing his attention away from Damon. _

_Stefan shrugged before he pulled Elena and forced her into a sitting position, "Maybe I just want to chit-chat…you know, the good old days? When you were my naïve girlfriend and I was your boyfriend who tried to lower himself because he thought you was worth it."_

"_So…you want to taunt me, Stefan?"_

"_No, I want to torment you, Elena."_

_Elena sat back as far as she could, wide eyed at what he could possibly do to her. Stefan just smiled before drawing a chair from across the room and sitting in front of her._

"_When I saved you…you know, instead of your parents, I'll admit – it was because you looked like Katherine," he began – knowing her past, especially with the other doppelganger, was a sore subject. _

"_I just had to know you…" Stefan continued as he memorized every expression of distress, doubt, fear and hatred flicker across Elena's face._

"_I watched you for months before that school year started, seemingly to bump into you on accident the first day. Even your friends noticed how I would constantly stare at you in the class room. Of course, they thought you had an admirer."_

"_I thought when I confessed to you about your parents…you know, after we made love the first time but you ran away because you found out you looked exactly like Katherine? I thought you would question everything as more than mere coincidence…"_

_Stefan smiled as Elena's breathing became labored and tears once again welled in her eyes. He simply rolled his shoulders before continuing, "After you came back from your trip with Damon…which really worried me – thought you were going to pick him over me…Strangely, all I had to say was "I love you" and all was forgiven. I honestly thought back then it would be harder but you've always made it so easy, haven't you, Elena? Well…easy for Klaus and me anyway," he smirked before sparing a glance back at his brother._

"_Wh…why are you doing this? What do you want, Stefan?" Elena question, the tears freely flowing down her cheeks._

"_I've already told you…"_

"_No, that's not why you're doing this…"_

"_Maybe…but you won't find that out until the end, now – let me finish," Stefan ordered before he continued once again, this time pulling what seemed to be a piece of worn folded paper from his pocket._

"_Klaus' witches got this back for me before we managed to get Katherine herself," he stated, waving the picture in front of her – the same picture she found in his journal that particular night – the picture Stefan had kept all those years of Katherine from 1864._

"_I hated having to burn this for that stupid spell Bonnie tried to perform but I was angry with how she was behaving, nothing like how I remembered her from a century before…plus the little Scooby gang didn't really give me a choice, did they? But I have it back now…of course, it would be better if we had her too…"_

"_Katherine's not here?" Elena interjected._

_Stefan glared at her before turning his attention back to the photo, "No…she managed to escape once again. But don't worry, we'll find her again. Klaus promised."_

_Elena took a deep breath, trying to keep her hopes high – there went one person she hoped would be able to rescue them…luckily, the was still the others she could depend on._

"_Now…as I was saying –You would think burning it would be symbolic of my love for you…When the gang really should have been questioning why I had it in the first place…"_

"Elena, stop – you don't have to keep going."

Elena jumped back slightly in shock as Damon rested on of his hands upon her knee, his eyes full of concern as he watched tears streak down her face. Elena quickly wiped them away, almost ready to berate herself for getting so caught up in her memories.

"Do you not want to hear this, Damon?"

"No…I mean…well, I do but not if you're going to cry over it. It's not worth to put you through this again…"

Elena smiled before she moved to rest her head upon Damon's shoulder. Damon stared at her uncertain for a moment before he wrapped his one arm around her. The pair settled deeper into the bed, making themselves comfortable and closer before Elena continued.

"I realized then that my relationship with Stefan was…sort of a lie. I should have realized all the signs but…I was just a teenager…in love and…"

"It's easy to believe anything when you feel that way," Damon finished for her, his eyes distant and she knew he was thinking about his time with Katherine for that short moment.

"I didn't know what was worse…which version of Stefan was crueler…the sadistic ripper who was tormenting me with all this knowledge or that selfish façade of a boyfriend."

Elena took a deep breath as Damon pulled her closer, resting her head upon his chest. Elena smiled for a moment at the feeling before she took swallowed it down to finish, "I could no longer respect him…I still loved him but…after he said all that…there was no future for us anymore."

Damon shifted slightly before he pulled her closer to him, soothing her hair before he asked her, "What happened next? I mean…you guys…er, we had to get out somehow…How…?"

"Katherine." It wasn't exactly the answer Damon wanted or expected but he got some idea what could have happened if she had been involved.

Yet, Elena decided to elaborate anyway for him, "She snuck in and while Stefan's back was turned she enable me to move my body again then gave me the keys to set me free. I thought we were going to fight Stefan but he seemed to be occupied with just the fact that Katherine was there. They talked…or rather yelled while I got you free. She managed to pin him against a wall, using the same restraints on him that he had used on you…then she threw me your car keys, told us where your Camero was parked and told us to get out of there while she dealt with him."

Damon nodded as it all sank in, "That is…some story."

"Damon…it's not a story…I didn't make it up." Elena practically growled, jerking out of his embrace before staring down at him.

"I know, I believe you Elena but…it has happened to me yet so to me, it's a story…of what's to come," he reassured her, pulling her back so she laid upon his chest, soothingly rubbing her back as they fell into a peaceful silence.

Elena felt sort of relieved after telling him despite the issues with actually telling him and messing up everything that's supposed to happen – but, Elena decided not to worry. Damon seemed to always have a strange way affecting her. She always reacted different when he was around –especially towards him.

That moment Elena looked up at Damon to find he was staring back at her with equal intensity.

Elena leaned up to him to meet his lips with her own. Damon responded to her by tightening his one arm around her slim waist while the other moved to cup the back of her neck. They continued to kiss as their hearts began to race and their breathing became more ragged as the moment went on.

Elena snaked her arm around to tug up his shirt so she could run her hand over the smooth planes of his back. Damon covered Elena's body with his own, moving his legs between hers before shifting his hip against her, licking her plump lips before opening her mouth with his - sharing a breath together.

Elena then interrupted their kisses to pull Damon's tight shirt off his tone body.

Quickly, Damon tossed the article of clothing across the room before turning to Elena to return the favor.

They mirrored another as they continued to undress each other. Damon kissed and licked his way down Elena's arching neck while she reached blindly for the zipper of his jeans – slowly ghosting the tips of her fingers down the midline of his torso.

"Elena…" Damon let out on a gasp as he fought to regain his breath.

"Shh…no talking," Elena whispered as the rest of their clothes flew away.

While Damon smirked at Elena forwardness, Elena went one step forward – rolling them so she could be on top.

Elena immediately silenced any quarrels he had with the position as she kissed him before making her way down his neck.

Damon felt his lids droop heavily and his breathing became labored as Elena slowly kissed his hips, slowing her pace as she made her way towards his groin, "Elena…please…"

"Begging Damon? What is it you want?" Elena teased, smirking seductively at him as she fell into her old habits.

Instead of telling her, Damon pulled her up so he could look into her eyes, "What I want to say is that you don't have to do this…we don't have to do any of this."

Elena gave him a confused look, looking between the their complete lack of any clothes before her gazed returned to him.

Damon sighed, knowing better than to put on the brakes with women when you're in bed with her but Elena wasn't any other woman. "It's just…before you stopped me from going too far…"

Elena smiled, he didn't need to stop her – ask her if this was alright before she did something she would regret later on. But he did.

"Damon," she gazed into his eyes as she cupped his face in her hand, "I want this…I want you."

Suddenly, Damon lifted Elena into his lap, placing his hands upon her hips and the curve of her back before capturing her lips once again. Damon pressed his hips against hers, eliciting a low moan from Elena.

Damon was memorized as Elena tipped her head back – the waves of her brunette hair fell behind her as she arched her back into him, allowing him to access her neck.

Damon placed a chaste kiss on the pulse of her neck before he lifted her hip so she could meet him all the way.

Elena and Damon both moaned at the contact, instinctively rolling their hips to crash into the others. Soon they began a rhythmic pace, both racing to reach that pinnacle point before everything would crash down upon them.

Damon kept his arms wound around her slim waist as he braced his hands on her hips, keeping her exactly where he wanted her.

Elena grasped his shoulders, focusing of their movements as she strived to go faster, "Damon, look."

Damon followed the short order as he opened his eyes. Elena stared back at him, reflecting something in her eyes Damon could fathom is words but understood.

Damon quickly moved into as sitting position and Elena gasped at the new angle, neither one breaking eye contact with the other.

As the buildup reached its peak, Damon and Elena gasped, forced to close their eyes before they shivered at the feeling.

Elena leaned forward against Damon's chest, clinging to him as she buried her head in his shoulder. Damon slowly moved to make her comfortable, keeping his arms locked her before they settled, smiling down upon her as she looked up again in his cerulean eyes.

The moment seemed right and perfect like all those other times she found herself reflected in Damon's eyes. It probably would have been wise not to go there, and make it clear she shouldn't look at him like that before everything went to hell in a basket. Yet, Elena had already spent a couple days there with no clue how long she would end up staying. Could you blame her for wanting to be comforted by the man she grew to love? Even if it was the past version of him.

After seeing the way Elena made contact with his eyes, how she would drop her gaze to his lips, respond to his touched and caresses; Damon never felt so wanted in his life before that night. Not even by women who could not deny his devilish charm. This went beyond that but he knew she wasn't his to have – not yet anyway. But who could blame Damon for wanting to be comforted by the women he was growing to love?

Damon and Elena laid in each other's arms as they caught their breaths and calmed their hearts. Even if they weren't exactly who the other needed, they were all they had at that moment.

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading!  
>Now that you are done with the chapter, did you like it? Please let me know. Criticism is encouraged for this chapter. Because, honestly, this was my first time publishing or even writing mature content like it. <strong>

**So if there was ever a time for me to shamelessly plug in for reviews – it would be now:  
>Please review…pretty pretty please with sugar on top – and a maraschino cherry. : P<strong>

**Then maybe I'll write another chapter or two like it…Okay, there will definitely be another chapter more dedicated to 'mature content'. And for those disappointed that this wasn't more 'mature content' centered – I have my reasons. **


	10. Chapter 10

**a.n.:** This is the last chapter to take place during episode: "Let the Right One In" (finally).  
>This is a T rated chapter; hope you enjoy it.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

"That just happened," were the first words out of Damon's mouth once their breathing returned to normal as he propped himself against the head board.

"Yea, it did," Elena agreed. Yet it didn't exactly feel right - like she would imagine how it would feel if you came home but all the walls were painted a different color and the furniture had been rearranged.

Elena reached up to Damon's face to move some sweat slicked strands of hair out of his eyes. Before she could though, Damon grabbed her wrist with a tug before placing two of his fingers along it, "Why did you sleep with me?"

"Damon…I…I shouldn't have but I just wanted to be with you," she admitted before getting her hand free from him.

Damon just shook his head, it was obviously not the answer he was looking for, "What I should be asking is why are we together in the future? If I really am to believe we're some functional couple in the next couple years…" he faded off, even coming out of his own mouth the idea sounded farfetched and ridiculous.

"Damon, you know why…"

"No, Elena…I really don't."

"It's because I love you," she admitted blatantly which caused him to froze at the words, "I know the present me thinks you're nothing but a self-serving psychopath but you change Damon…I change, and all for the better."

Love? Damon Salvatore was not and could not be loved.

"Love…" he snarled at the word, "You don't love me."

"Damon…of course I do. Why do you think just now happened?"

"Then why are you still human!" he snapped, getting out of the bed in a flash.

"What…" Elena could barely talk with how things had suddenly turned. But, she should have seen this coming – this Damon could never let anything be without somehow ruining the moment.

"You're still human. I felt you're pulse, Elena. If you claim you love me soooo much, then why haven't I turned you yet?" he stated as if the fact was clear for anyone to see. All Elena could do was shrug.

She knew why she hadn't been changed yet. Despite how comfortable Damon and Elena had become over the last months during their relationship, the idea of being a vampire still terrified her.

"Damon…" Elena pleaded, wrapping the sheet tighter around her as if it could act like a shield.

"What Elena? What are you going to say, hmmm? And what about your precious Stefan? Where is he when all this happens in our supposed future?"

"He…he left. I've told you this and you were there for me and things just…"

"Not offense Elena but it sounds like Stefan broke things off with you and you decided to replace him with me," Damon barked back with the strange feeling the words he just spoke would hurt Elena like no other.

"Damon- that is not what happened and I wish you knew that. Sure I loved both him and you and I know you have similarities but…"

"God Elena…Don't you dare look at me and see my brother!" Damon snapped before tossing a glass vase against the wall. He wasn't sure where this anger and thoughts were coming from, but once he said it he felt a million times worse.

Not only did the response leave Damon with a sickening feeling deep down in his stomach and heart, he felt like now the words weren't worth it as he watched Elena's expression crumble.

She looked heartbroken and on the verge of tears – like he just told her he (or rather Stefan more likely) ate her puppy. She held her hands close to her chest as remained still, her eyes fixed to the wall behind him.

Damon sighed before turning to her once again. This time his voice low and non-threatening, "Just…leave, Elena. Please?"

Elena just stared at him bewildered for a moment before she did as he asked.

"You can take my car…I'll come by later to pick it up."

All Elena could do was finish getting dressed before nodding and then leaving.

Damon waited to hear his car leave the driveway before he let go of the breath he was holding and fell back unto his bed.

Only once he did Elena's scent wafted into his nostrils – reminding him of what they had just done. It wasn't like he imagined in his head once or twice, that he was willing to admit, he felt like something had been lacking between the two.

Damon quickly sped out of his bedroom and down to the basement – he needed some blood after the long day.

However, Damon did not expect to see what he would find down in the basement in front of the floor fridge where he stored his blood, not in a thousand years.

Stefan – covered in blood once again – drowning a couple blood bags – filled with human blood.

* * *

><p>Elena drove a lot faster than she should in the dark on her way back to the bed and breakfast. Something equally wonderful and horrible happened and then Damon just had to go and ruin the moment. She didn't know why he always did that or why when he did her blood always seemed to boil in anger.<p>

Elena parked the car, making sure the slam the driver's side door on her way out, and then made her way back to her room. Luckily she passed no one, especially not the owner before she got inside her door – she felt like she couldn't handle speaking to anyone right now.

Elena tried to make herself comfortable on the bed but winced as she was reminded of the Camero's car keys in her pocket. Pulling them out, she had every intention of just throwing them on the nightstand or somewhere in the room, but when she grasped them in her hand and eyed the set of keys her mind drifted back once more to that fated night with Stefan, Damon, Katherine and herself.

_**2012**_

_Elena wasn't sure exactly how, maybe the adrenaline coursing through her veins, but she managed to get Damon back to his car exactly where Katherine said it would be. After placing Damon in the passenger seat since he was in obviously no condition to drive, Elena got in the driver's seat herself before pulling out of the abandoned area, spinning gravel as she went._

_Driving frantically while tears streaked her cheeks, Elena headed to the boarding house as Damon fought to stay conscious._

"_Elena…" he moaned in pain as he tried to turn towards her._

"_Shh…Damon. I'll get you back to the boarding house…"_

"_Elena…"_

"_Then you'll get some blood into you and be able to recuperate…"_

"_Elena, just pull over!"_

_Elena maneuvered the Camero into the paved shoulder of the road, gripping the steering wheel in frustration, "What is it, Damon?"_

"_Why?"_

_When Elena just gave him a confused look before Damon explained, "Why did you leave Stefan there?"_

_Elena could see the confusion evident in Damon's face, because, really? How could Elena ever pick Damon over Stefan? Elena just rested her forehead on the steering wheel, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Elena leaned back against the seat before she shifted over towards Damon._

_Damon stiffened as she wiped some blood from his face lightly traced his lips with the tips of her fingers. He took a deep breath before warning her, "Elena…"_

"_Stefan will be free of Klaus in a decade…and I needed to get you out of there. Katherine can deal with Stefan…that mess she made so long ago. And if Stefan can get over his guilt and blood lust before then maybe he can do it again. But I'm not going to lose the progress I've made with you…" she told him, lightly cupping his cheek with in her hand._

_Damon resisted caressing his face into her hand as he glared coldly at her words, "I'm not some project, Elena. I just can't be 'fixed'."_

_Elena narrowed her eyes at Damon suspiciously before she moved herself even closer to him, "How many times do I have to tell you, Damon…" she stated with confidence as she moved even closer to him, her lips close enough to kiss him, "I like you the way you are."_

_Damon was stuck in awe for a moment before he pulled back, "Elena, I'm not going to kiss you."_

_Elena opened her mouth to speak but Damon harshly cut her off, "I know things have changed between us over the last year but…I can't accept anything, let alone a kiss from you when you're upset like this."_

_Elena smiled before she cupped the side of his face again before setting her forehead against his, "I wasn't going to kiss you, Damon."_

_Damon wanted to remark something like a 'yea right' or 'oh, really' but never got the chance. He was silenced as Elena drew the tip of her nose down the length of his before coming to a stop. For a moment, Elena and Damon shared the same breath as they stared into each other's eyes. If it could, Damon's heart would have been pounding._

_Yet, true to her word, Elena pulled away before shifting the car back into drive, "Let's get to the boarding house so you can heal."_

"_Elena?"_

_With her tears gone and a small smile gracing her lips, Elena turned to Damon while taking his hand into her own, "Yea?"_

_Damon smiled at her gesture before he admitted how little control he had when it came to her, "I wish you would have kissed me."_

* * *

><p><strong>2014<strong>

Damon sat on the couch in front of the boarding house fireplace, trusted scotch in hand as he watched the amber liquor bounce the light of the fire around the room.

Stefan quietly entered the room, taking a stance by the fireplace, as he watched his brother deep in thought.

"I know what you're going to say…" Damon muttered, downing his drink before going to refill the glass.

"You're psychic now?" Stefan laughed as he got a drink of his own.

Damon rolled his eyes before he sighed, "No…I just know you're going to tell me to stop mopping over the situation and then encourage me to stay strong because we'll get Elena back, you're sure of it."

"Actually, I think he was going to inform you you're acting like he use to," Katherine smirked to Damon as she announced her entrance, only clad in one of Stefan's shirts and some black panties. Not that Damon was looking or anything, it was just hard not to notice.

"I wasn't going to say that…" Stefan matched Katherine's smirk before pulling her into his lap as he took seat in one of the large arm chairs by the fire.

Damon just rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to make gagging noises at the sight to the couple, "I am not, nor ever will be, like Stefan."

"Well, we could argue on details but you're just not fun anymore, Damon…" Katherine pouted while she ran her hands through Stefan's hair.

"I am so fun…Elena and I have fun all the time. Granted, when she's not studying or in class…but still, I am fun," Damon defended himself.

"Damon…I'm not sure Elena knows the definition of fun. God, she use to think Saintly 'I'm on animal blood' Stefan was fun." Katherine remarked to him, giving him her all-knowing look.

"Hey…" now Stefan felt like he was the one who needed to defend himself.

"I'm sorry Stef, but it's true. You just weren't any fun until you got back on human blood," Katherine reassured him with a polite smile.

"And once he learned how to control it," Damon added – Stefan the ripper was in no means "fun".

Katherine just smiled at him before waltzing off, probably to the basement to find some blood.

"Anyway," Stefan broke from the distraction before turning again to his brother, "I was going to ask if we could finish our talk from earlier."

"I thought we did finish it," Damon remarked as he threw Stefan a confused stare.

"We talk about Katherine and I…we didn't get a chance to talk about Elena and you," Stefan informed him.

Damon just drew his eyes away from his brother and back to the fire, "What's there to tell? We're happy as can be – just peachy."

"Then why is she still human?"

"Stefan…"

"Damon, you not going to pull something like I did, are you? Only love her for a couple years before you try to leave her?"

"After all the work I've put into actually getting the girl in the end, what do you think?"

"Then why, Damon?"

"Because … …I want it to be her choice and hers alone."

"Really?" Stefan asked, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned forward – all his attention focused on Damon.

"Yes, really. But with everything and all my mistakes, add to that college and her own life – we really haven't had time to talk about it so I'm comfortable with waiting," Damon stated for his brother before adding with his signature smirk, "We'll…I was before today."

"You really want that, don't you? For it to be completely her decision to be with you as a vampire?"

Damon nodded, "Almost as much as I wanted her to admit that she loved me," he answered before taking a sip of his drink.

Stefan nodded in return before leaning back into the chair. The pair stayed quiet for a moment, taking in today's events before Stefan finally spoke again.

"You remember that talk we had after I had come back from Elena's…after I ended it with her?"

"Stefan, I'm in no mood to reminisce, especially about that."

"Well, I am," Stefan stated.

_**2013**_

_Damon was downing drinks as he stared once again smoldering fire before Stefan entered from the front door. _

"_Thought you were going to be at Elena's all night…with some happy reunion," Damon bit out with a growl._

"_Damon…" Stefan sighed before taking a stance in front of the fire place._

_Stefan had to take a moment to come up with exactly what he was going to tell his brother, say something wrong and it all his work to fix the whole situation between them could blow back in his face._

"_I ended things with Elena," Stefan revealed a lot blunter than he intended._

_Damon just shot him a look of disbelief before turning back to his drink._

"_Damon, listen I-"but Stefan was cut off when Damon asked simply, "Why?"_

"_What?" Stefan remarked back puzzled._

"_No…I asked 'Why', Stefan. Why would you do that?"Damon repeated himself, cracking the glass he held in his grasp._

"_Because…after everything I realized…Elena and I have both changed and we're just not the same people we are anymore. Truth is Damon, you see her a lot better than I do."_

"_See her? What the hell are you talking about?" Damon grumbled, not interested in getting all philosophical that night._

"_What I'm trying to get at is you know her better than I do, Damon. It seems like you've always had since you first met her and I…"Stefan muttered._

"_You what? Were her boyfriend and probably know her a lot more intimately than I ever could?" Damon quipped before finishing the drink, setting down the damaged glass ware after he finished._

"_So that's what happened to all the cups," Stefan mused before making a drink for himself._

"_Stefan, I know what you're doing and I can't be with her…not like that."_

"_And why not?"_

"_Because I'm a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities who doesn't know what love is and could never have her respect," Damon informed Stefan, as if all of this was obvious fact._

_Stefan tried not to wince as all those words came back to figuratively bite him right in the neck. "You have something with her, Damon."_

"_What are you seriously suggesting, Stefan?"_

"_I'm pretty much saying 'Go for it', Damon. You know what love is now and you know it with Elena and…I can't have you lose that."_

_The brothers stared at each other for a moment in silent understanding. Then Damon stood, walked over to the front door, put on his leather jacket._

_He opened the door before pausing for a moment then turning back to Stefan, "What are you going to do?"_

"_Well, I'm sure you can guess this – I'm going to go with Katherine," Stefan tried to say nonchalantly as he took a sip of his drink but kept a good watch on Damon at the mention of their mutual ex. _

_Damon just shrugged before throwing him a smile, "Good for you two."_

"_You're not mad?" Stefan took another sip, trying to keep his cool façade._

"_Yea, it better than you ending up with Klaus."_

_Stefan ended up spitting out his drink as his eyes went impossibly wide and Damon just smirked before heading to his car to see Elena, shutting the door behind him._

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading!  
>And thank you for all the reviews, and adds to story alerts and favorites.<br>If you have questions ask them in a review (or pm me) and I'll do my best to answer.**

_**Response to Reviews:**_

**Y**ea, I had originally wanted to post the last chapter last Sunday but it got pushed back so I 'quickly' proof read it. Sorry for the errors – I really hope it wasn't too distracting from the story.

**W**henever Elena talks about her and Damon being 'together', she's referring to future Damon. Since past Damon and future Damon are kind of the same person…yes and no. Yes, she did cheat, sort of. If it's confusing for you, think how Elena feels. You guys will find out how it affects her soon.

**It** is magic how she got there so you never know what could happen, and she won't know how she affected things till she gets back to her time (supposedly). And it's…complicated, really complicated.  
><strong>So<strong> here's a video about time travel watch?v=Thry5mXld80 (and it's funny)

**Lastly,** I am not killing off Bonnie! *looks at the review* She wasn't even mentioned in the last chapter…at all. She'll redeem herself by the end of this story, okay? (At least you mentioned the flashback, thank you.)


	11. Chapter 11

**a.n.:** This chapter takes place during "Under Control" and the episode that just happens to come after that. : P  
>Hope you enjoy this chapter anyway.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2014**

Damon couldn't help but to notice how eerie the forest looked around them with its shifting shadows and disturbing silence, even though it was the middle of the afternoon.

"So, do you have everything, Bonnie?" Damon asked with obvious anxiety as he pulled on cuffs of his jacket more times than needed.

"Yea, I should. This should work…hopefully," Bonnie stated with a weak smile as she moved to the circle drawn into ground with candles scattered around.

"You sure you're up for this?" Jeremy asked as he stood along with the others.

"I will be, Jer; I need to be," Bonnie reassured him with renewed conviction and a more believable smile.

"Alright, then let's get this thing started," Damon insisted.

"Can I talk to you for a sec, Damon?" Bonnie motioned to a spot farther into the clearing that happened to be away from the group.

Damon sighed in aggravation before he just nodded and walked away from the circle for a moment; the group preoccupying themselves with light conversations to give the sometimes allies a moment to speak.

"I could tell you I'm sorry," she decided it was the best way to start.

"You could," he answered back, knowing she had apologized to everyone in Elena's life about sending her into the past - except him personally, of course.

"But I'm not."

"Bonnie," Damon growled in warning.

"What I want to say," Bonnie said, finally getting to her point with down turned eyes, "I was angry at the fact that Elena never really told me about you two before that night. It didn't surprise me or anyone else in the group you two would eventually get together but…I just wish she…"

"Bonnie," Damon interrupted again.

Bonnie was just about to let him feel her threat from earlier when she saw his expression – something of understanding and respect. "Yea?" was all she could manage to get out as his blue eyes absorbed all of her attention.

"Whatever you planned on saying to me probably should be saved for Elena, alright?"

Bonnie simply nodded before saying her final peace, "I just wanted you to understand how I felt… Elena's my best friend."

"I know Bonnie and she probably still will be after we get her back but saying it to me is not going to do any good. If she does decide to be pissed at you for a while then I'll agree with her because as I see it you deserve some reprimand for all of this. Yet, I'm also sure she'll eventually forgive you and be your friend again – you just have to remember to also be hers."

Bonnie was almost speechless as he finished advice to her, "Damon…that was…"

"Of course, it not then I'll just kill you for all these problems you've caused once again," he flashed her his signature smirk before leaving her to once again take his position at the circle.

"And he's back to normal," Bonnie muttered before she followed him back to the group.

Candles lit around the area grew brighter as Bonnie opened her grimoire. The group watched as the circle itself lit on fire as Bonnie's chanting grew louder. The flames blazed towards the bright sky, while flickers of red ash floated around them.

The fire of the circle began to increase to a white intense blaze, heat magnified as it seemed to want to engulf the group and the whole forest within itself.

Yet as quickly as it had grown in strength, a gust of wind flew through the trees, extinguishing the circle as if it were the flame of a simple candle.

Bonnie knelt to the forest floor as she tried to regain her strength and compose, Jeremy soon standing beside her.

"You alright, Bon?" he asked her, hand smoothing her hair in comfort.

"Just fine, Jer," Bonnie looked up to the remnants of the circle to see nothing was left and a smile graced her face, "Seems like it worked."

"That was a great job there, Bonnie," Caroline chimed in, showing her support for her friend with her cheerful smile.

"We need to get back to the house," Alaric announced, gathering up the leftovers from the spell as the others started making their way back to the off road.

"Why do we need to do that? The spell worked," Caroline stated obviously as she pointed to the group at the circle.

"Sorry Blondie but because you and teen wolf showed up late, you kind of missed a lot," Katherine remarked back as Stefan gave her a warning plea to be civil.

Yet Caroline just stared at the group with obvious curiosity as they followed the rest to their respective cars.

Jeremy sighed before he decided to fill Caroline and the equally confused Tyler in, "What Bonnie did right there was only the first part."

"But you guys told me earlier that was really all we could do right now," Caroline stated back.

"Unfortunately, that was all we could do," this time Bonnie chimed in to explain the situation in whole, "For the second part – we need Elena to finish the spell."

* * *

><p><strong>2010<strong>

Elena was resting once again in her room at the bed and breakfast. It had been a lengthy couple of days since Elena had last spoken or even seen Damon and it seemed like cabin fever was beginning to set in.

Besides that complete mistake of a night in Damon's room, Elena had only seen Damon twice earlier that week. Once in the morning to pick up his keys which he pretty much said nothing other than some bullshit formal greeting, the other to berate her for something she once again forgot the mention to him about future events.

Uncle John had arrived in town and of course, Damon had tried to kill him at the Founder's Day party- only to find he was alive later. Damon confronted Elena why exactly she left out all those details and Elena couldn't help but feel dejected after he left.

Elena continued to sit in her room pondering the last couple of weeks – what could she have done differently?

Trying not to tell him anything back fired – so had telling him everything. And worst of all was she just wanted to go home.

She was sure she probably had missed Jenna's wedding since they couldn't postpone it as long as she had been in the past. Everyone was probably worried sick and Damon…  
>Elena took a moment to smile – Damon would be doing everything in his power to get her back, she was sure of it. That was the one hope she clung to while there.<p>

The two had been through so much together over the last couple years that their bond felt nearly unbreakable.

With Katherine, her birth parents, Klaus and everything with Stefan...

Elena shot up that instant as if she had been burned, a cold sweat collecting down the spine of her back.

Stefan.

Did Damon know about his condition? In the past he did but with the majority of his concentration on her, could he really see the signs? What if that was one of the things she had changed? What if that meant Stefan would…

Elena quickly took a look at her phone for the date, cursing herself for her short sightedness in the events about to take place. Quickly donning on her shoes and jacket, Elena bolted from the bed and breakfast, making her way to town unfortunately on foot.

* * *

><p>She shouldn't have given up on cheer-leading so easily, Elena thought as she struggled to regain her breathing after the long dash. Yet, she was there and seemed to be in time too.<p>

Elena entered the Lockwood mansion as inconspicuously as she could. She really didn't want to run into to anyone she knew, especially her 'other' self. Yet, she had to find Stefan, or at least help Damon find him and stop him from possibly killing Amber.

She found her way to a set of stairs in the back so she could avoid the front where everyone had gathered – waiting for her, Caroline, and the rest of the Miss Mystic Falls contestants.

Maybe she could find Damon and keep him from telling Elena about Stefan's condition just yet. Or maybe just find Stefan so he doesn't find out Elena knows and then have him set off.

Sadly, it had been years since Elena had been to the Lockwood Mansion and she wasn't exactly sure which rooms she might be looking for. She opened one door to find a bathroom to her annoyance until she spotted a broken and bloodied mirror.

Closing the door as quietly as possible, Elena moved the next closed door – hoping to find something not as blood covered as the bathroom was.

Opening the door, Elena, much to her relief, found it free of any blood – but standing in the room instead in a blue dress in front of a full-length mirror was the past version of her.

Elena stood shocked while the younger version turned to face her, the two staring each other down from across the room.

"How is this possible? How do we look exactly alike?"

"You're asking the wrong questions," Elena mumbled before bolting out the door and out the way she came.

The only bit of luck she had that day was to know the 'past' Elena wouldn't be able to pursue herself since she would be announced shortly, Caroline keeping her busy until that moment arrived. Plus wearing heels would slow her down quite a bit if she did follow her.

Elena exited the back of the house from where she came in to find a large group in attendance for the dance. She didn't remember so many people being there the first time around as she watched couples come out of the edge of the crowd. Of course, at the time she had been so worried about Stefan and then there was Damon, coming in to save her from embarrassment when Stefan failed to show.

She suppose she probably should go look for Stefan while the masses of people were distracted but for one reason or another, she couldn't pull herself away from watching her past self and Damon share this one dance together.

However, when Elena was sure herself and Damon were up next, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist – crushing her back to her capture's broad chest. The other arm settled its hand against her mouth, muffling her scream so no one could hear.

Elena stood petrified once again that day as the hand moved away from her mouth to pull back her hair behind her ear, before a set a lip whispered right against the shell of her ear.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?"

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading! **

**a.n.: **Yeah…cliff hangers are so much fun, aren't they? Yes – go ahead and speculate who it is this time. Stefan? The one tomb vampire? Somebody else? Hmmm…

Sadly, I've already begun to write/ come up with ideas for the last chapters, which happens to be my writer's kryptonite. : C But I am determined to finish the story before Season 3.

Sorry this is short and it is late (been past a week – my bad). Next chapter will be up soon, I hope.


	12. Chapter 12

**a.n.:** Takes place during the episode "Miss Mystic Falls" (like you guys couldn't guess that), and picks up exactly where we left off. Btw, which means by the way, this chapter is all Delena (Dalena?).  
>Hope you enjoy.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

Elena spun around the second the arms loosened their grasp, ready to face her perpetrator. Of course, she felt more likely to slap him when she saw who it was, instead of the expected response of kicking and screaming.

"Damon…" she mumbled on an irritated sigh, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too. Thought you would just be slightly happier to see me," he answered her, his face full of confusion and slight hurt though he masked it well under his satire.

"I am…it's just…Stefan isn't going to show up so you need to get in there so we…" Elena broke off as she took in Damon's attire, "What happened to your suit? You're not dressed." Elena felt like she was going to have a heart attack or a stroke – something was wrong and it was probably all her fault.

Damon looked down at his tee, jeans and jacket – slightly confused by the way Elena was acting till he glanced over the large audience and the Lockwood mansion before them and smirked. "Elena, I think you're mistaken," Damon suggested as he drew her gently into his arm once again, turning her towards the dance.

"Damon, what are you…" Elena's words died as she watched her past version of herself and Damon make their way to the dance floor with the other couples.

She watched as they faced each other and bowed, and then their dance of near touches began, swirling around each other as if they were the only ones on that dance floor.

Elena could remember that bubbling feeling she had when she descended the stairs those years ago – Damon waiting patiently at the bottom for her. Her mind in defiance went to Stefan, of course.

Elena gave a shirt gasp when their doubles swept each other in their arms – never realizing how Damon and herself looked at that moment. All eyes trained on them as Damon lead her fluidly around while in his embrace. The slight smile on Elena's face as Damon returned a small one, filled with happiness Elena only saw a couple of times in later years.

If only she knew then what she knew now or even what she realized at that moment. She always secretly, and with much guilt, pulled out that memory when she was alone – remembering every detail Damon offered her that day. Included the solemn gaze him and herself wore after the music ended and they had to remove each other from their arms. Remembering a small part of her never truly wanted that dance to end.

"You look sooo good in that blue dress. You don't still have it, do you?" Damon asked with a smirk, turning her back around towards him.

"It's you…It's really you," Elena muttered in wonder as she grasped the lapels of his jacket, pulling her body closer to his.

"Let's get back to the Boarding House," he urged her, wanting to get somewhere private so they could talk.

"Yea sure," Elena agreed as they walked away from the spectacle, only to pause shortly after.

"Wait."

"Elena?"

"We can't go to the Boarding House, we…they are going to take Stefan there. I think I know somewhere we can go," she stated before directing him to the location.

* * *

><p>"This is where you've been staying?" Damon tried to grasp as he looked around the room Elena had at the bed and breakfast.<p>

"It was short notice, Damon," she argued with a sigh before taking a seat on the bed.

The two had a brief but informative discussion before they reached their destination, both disturbed by what the other had said. Damon found out instead of a couple days of being in the past, Elena had been there for weeks and that knowledge, especially since he wasn't there for her, angered him. And Elena found out who exactly was responsible for sending her into the past in the first place.

"I know she's done some things in the past but…god, I thought we were beyond this," Elena groaned, rubbing her temples as she fought off the oncoming head ache.

"Well, you don't talk regularly to someone for a couple years and then dump something like that on them…" Damon murmured, taking a seat in the arm chair silently.

Elena looked up at him in disbelief before it turned into a glare, "You're siding with her?"

"What? No…Why would I after everything, especially after the Founder's day incident? No, I just…while we were preparing to get you back I talked to her and kind of understand where she's coming from, Elena."

Elena expression softened before she nodded, "I guess."

"You know how surprised Jenna and Ric still were, even though you would think it would have been obvious…"

Elena continued to just nod, obvious lost in thought.

Damon looked at her for a moment before he got up to sit beside her, "If it makes you feel better, we let her have it when we all found out."

"After I, of course, yelled at her till I was blue in the face, and we all expressed our strong dislike for what she did. I think…Jeremy was the only one who didn't yell at her," Damon informed her, giving a strange look when he mentioned the younger Gilbert.

Elena's eyes widen, "What do you mean?" asking him to elaborate.

"Well, he is her boyfriend and probably knew what she was thinking when she did it. If anyone knew what was going on in Sabrina's head – it would be your brother, sadly."

Elena just nodded again; letting all the information from Damon sink in before she spoke up again, "So, how are we going to know when we need to perform our half of the spell?"

Damon bounced a few times on the bed, much to Elena's annoyance before he chose to answer, "She'll contact us, like when you were kidnapped by Rose."

Elena nodded, simply staring once again into space as she processed everything.

Damon laid back on the bed, placing his hands behind his head before kicking off his shoes – receiving a glare from Elena, "You comfortable?"

Nodding smugly, Damon shifted against the bed before he turned back to the matter at hand, "We do have one problem though…"

"Which would be?"

"We'll also need 'past' Bonnie for our half of the spell as well and if memory serves me right she was also mad at you at the point of time as well."

Elena huffed out a breath before she flopped down upon the bed next to Damon, "Great, just great…exactly what we needed."

"Hey, Debbie Downer, we have time to get everything together based on what you told me so just relax for the rest of the night. Besides, I have a feeling our wicked witch will want to help us out."

Elena just turned to him with an exhausted sigh, silently asking why.

"She isn't going to want to have two Damons around," he answered in his usual nonchalant way.

Elena made a silent 'o' before moving closer to Damon, resting her head the crook of his neck while his arm and hand wound around her waist as the two lapsed into silence.

The sun had set before either one spoke again, Damon being the first to break the silence.

"You know what this reminds me of?"

All Elena answered was a murmured 'mhmm' in question, too comfortable lying against Damon with her eyes blissfully closed.

"Those times I snuck into your apartment, even after the agreement we set up in the first place in exchange for being let in…and if you weren't studying or writing then you would let me stay and hold you."

Elena glanced around the room with a slight wince. "I think my small apartment is better than this," she stated as she looked up at him with a slight smile before she ran her hand through his dark hair.

"After my decorating, of course," Damon smirked, turning towards her while pulling her deeper into his arms.

Elena rolled her eyes playfully before she settled her gaze on Damon, "I've missed you."

"I would kind of hope so…"

"No, I really missed you, Damon."

Elena slowly drew her lips across Damon's to illustrate her point clearer. He gave in instantly, holding nothing back when it came to her- only pulling back when he had one thing he wanted to say.

"I've been so worried something would happen to you."

Elena shifted her eyes away from Damon, lightly rubbing her neck.

"Did I…he hurt you?"

"Not really, and he was just upset over the tomb and well, you know all of it."

"I still shouldn't have let anything happen to you…"

"It was beyond your control, Damon," Elena reassured him, drawing her soft hand against his cheek before sliding it back into his hair.

"Now that I'm here I am going to make sure nothing else happens to you."

Elena gave him one of her true smiles as she looked up at him with loving eyes, "You always do."

Damon was quick to cover her body with his own as he kisses her with the all too familiar passion that seemed to consume them both.

Elena acted quickly as well as she gripped the back of Damon's tee to remove it from his body. Damon pulled back to remove the article over his head before starring down at Elena with his intense blue eyes, "Little impatient, aren't we?"

Elena's hands were on his neck, lacing her fingers at the base of his head as she pulled him back on top of her. "Shut up," was all she growled before her lips were on his once again.

Damon respond with enthusiasm to her aggression as his hands worked on the buckle of his belt, and then the button of his jean and zipper before the old ragged blue jeans were removed completely. Then Damon used his vampiric advantaged to flip them so Elena would be on top. Waiting for Elena to get her bearings back and realize the new position, Damon intertwined his finger behind his head before he bucked his hips from underneath her while doing his signature 'eye-thing'. "Your turn," he grinned like the devil he was.

Elena smiled down at him before lifting her top at an agonizingly slow pace; eventually she removed and tossed it to the side. Then worked on her jeans while Damon watched her head bowed in concentration on the buttons.

Once her top was gone, Damon looped his fingers through the straps of her bra, slowly drawing them down her arms. Damon drew his hands down her soft sides, silently counting her ribs till he reached her waist, flipping them so she was underneath him once again.

The couple shared a brief moment of understanding before Damon began to kiss down Elena's neck, following a trail only he could see as he made his way to her sensitive collar bone. Elena angled her head back so Damon could have the best opportunity to kiss and caress her the way he wanted to.

Ignoring the peaks of her breasts, Damon traveled down the valley to her soft curves of her stomach. Lingering, almost teasing, at the elastic lace of her undergarment. Yet using his skills once again, the article of Elena's last clothing was gone and so was his to some far corner of the room.

Damon caressed her thigh and stomach, taking his time with concentrated touched to her body as if he was fine tuning a master-crafted instrument. Elena huffed with impatience as she grasped Damon's shoulder to pull him back up to her for a forceful kiss. He couldn't help the chuckle in his throat as he responded to her kiss and semi desperation – of course, it had been weeks for her.

Supporting himself upon his elbows Damon hovered above Elena, giving her a lingering kiss as he positioned his hips against hers. Elena gasped, her head tilted fully back into the pillows as Damon moved inside her – with her as she matched his trusts with her own hips.

Their legs stretched and twisted around the other's, their arms and hands embracing the other, encouraging them to continue on. A sheer layer of sweat perspired on their backs, stomachs and legs as their bodies continued their rhythm, joining them in that age old dance the two frequented in the last couple months of their relationship.

Damon flipped him and Elena once again before resting his back against the head board, both of them gasping at the feel and pleasure of the new angle.

If Elena was coherent enough she might have been startled by the position Damon decided to take. But her mind was lost in the bliss of the moment as both him and her striving for that pinnacle.

And it felt like home.

**~Ѱ~**

**The End**

**Ha, just kidding. Thank you for reading!  
>(look, no cliff hanger this time)<strong>

_Response to reviewers:_

Yea, a lot of you guys guessed Damon and I was scared I gave too much away. So I hope the beginning came as a delighted surprise to most of the readers. Now Elena has to deal with two 'Damon's – oh, boy.

Earlier (end of chapter 4) I asked if Katherine should be brought in and the majority answered no. Strangely, now I see many reviews anticipating her arrival (along with Isobel). And I am torn what to do since I had settled that the only Katherine would be limited to 2014.  
><strong>So<strong>…in your guys' opinions, what should I do?


	13. Chapter 13

**a.n.:** Takes place during that space between "Miss Mystic Falls" and "Blood Brothers".  
>You guys don't even want to know how much of a pain this chapter was while dealing with computer and internet problems, on top of a power outage Wed. night that knocked out everything - even my telephone for some reason.<br>But I managed to get it posted anyway thanks to my battery; so I really really hope you all enjoy this chapter.

**~Ѱ~**

**2014**

Bonnie flipped through the pages of her grimoire more one time, though she probably had done so about a hundred times in the last hour.

"Bonnie?" Caroline asked timidly, a soda pop in each hand.

Bonnie gave a forced smile as she took the one drink for herself from her caring friend, "Thanks Care."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"Doesn't seem like it…" Caroline observed, taking a seat at the large dinner table.

"Once Elena and Damon get back, I will be fine," Bonnie confirmed.

"Both of them, huh?"

"Yes…," Bonnie answered, confused by where Caroline was trying to go with the conversation.

"So you want them both to come back?"

"Of course, didn't I just say that?"

Caroline just nodded before she spoke her mind, "You know a lot of us were more than upset with what you did but what I'm having problems with is trying to understand why."

"Why what?"

"Why you would do something like that to Elena? I've known you to make mistakes, Bonnie, but you always seem to do the right thing in the end when it mattered."

"I'm doing the right thing now."

"But I want to know why you would do it in the first place?"

Bonnie shrugged with her eyes down to the grimoire once again though her concentration was elsewhere. After a moment of silence, Bonnie looked up to speak.

"I haven't talked to Elena for some time before she came back a couple nights ago. We've had short conversations over the phone and web but…I should have known about her and Damon…she should have told me."

"Bonnie…people fall out of touch, especially after high school. It happens."

"But the two of you are my best friends and I feel…like I'm going to lose you forever."

Tears began to prick Bonnie's eyes as she cast her gaze back down at the grimoire.

"Bonnie…" Caroline was right behind in an instant, giving her beloved friend a hug for comfort, "You are never going to lose us like that."

"You and Elena are going to stay young forever and I'm…"

"Going to have a wonderful life with children and a family," Caroline finished for her, a reassuring smile on her face.

Bonnie took a deep breath as she regained her composure, "Maybe…"

"No, not maybe. One day…soon or ten years from now you'll be beginning a family. Maybe with Jeremy or maybe with someone else. And of course, I'll be there to plan your wedding for you and so will Elena."

Bonnie smiled up at her friend, standing so she could embrace her in another hug, "You guys are going to stay around?"

"Well, we're going to try. Just because Elena and I are away for the time being doesn't mean it's permanent. There's no way we are going to live in our crappy apartment buildings forever. And if anything, Elena and I have to worry about losing you."

"It's just…why didn't she tell me sooner?"

"Damon and Elena just figured things out a couple months ago. These couple of years trying to make their friendship work hasn't been easy. I only knew because it was hard to hide Damon sneaking into her room all the time from a fellow vampire and werewolf."

"I just…wish I knew," Bonnie sighed.

"It will be okay, Bonnie. After we get them back and Jenna gets married, how about we have a girls' day since Jenna and Ric will be on their honeymoon. Just you, Elena, and me – Damon, Jeremy and Tyler will have to think of something to occupy their time."

"What about Katherine and Stefan?" Bonnie smirked, trying to hide her laughter. Caroline's whole notion sounding kind of ridiculous and absolutely fun, like always.

Caroline just smiled, waving her hand as if she was literally brushing the issue off, "We'll find something to do with them if they haven't left town by then."

"Maybe lock them up in the tomb again," a male voice called out from the doorway.

"Hi Jeremy," Caroline smiled as she motioned him to join them, "That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea," she added with a wink.

"Maybe have Matt over too and all you guys can watch football together," Bonnie added with a short laugh.

Caroline and Jeremy both laughed at the suggestion and even when the laughter died down, smiles still remained.

"I'm going to leave you guys alone for a moment, probably should check on Tyler," and with that Caroline made her exit.

Jeremy still had a pleasant small smile on his lips as Bonnie returned to her seat and her grimoire on the table.

"Haven't you searched through that enough, Bon?"

Bonnie just shook her head, "I could be doing something more."

"Bonnie, you've done enough."

Abruptly, Bonnie tore her eyes away from the grimoire to look Jeremy in the eyes, which were cold with disbelief.

"That's not what I meant, Bonnie. It's just…I heard what you and Caroline was talking about. And I know you've been beating yourself up about this; especially since that night was the first time in a while you got to see Elena."

"You're point, Jer?"

"I've been trying to stand beside you because you've let me know how you felt about Elena and Caroline. And I haven't really spoken my mind about what you did to my sister," Jeremy stated, watching as Bonnie flinched when he reminded her Elena was family, not just a friend.

"But I'm also your boyfriend and I want to be there for you. I want you to tell me when things are bothering you." Jeremy offered, taking a seat next to Bonnie – his hands open as well as his heart.

"I'll try, Jeremy. It was just such a rash and stupid decision that you know I would take it back in a heartbeat if I could, right?" Bonnie asked with uncertainty deep in her voice.

"I know, Bon," he reassured her as he looked around the other books, "If you insist on continuing the search through this grimoire then I might as well help you."

Bonnie smiled, lacing her hand in one of Jeremy's, "I would really like that."

Jeremy returned hers with a smile of his own as he opened one of the grimoires. The two continued to scour the pages into the night, their hands staying locked with each others.

* * *

><p><strong>2010<strong>

Elena didn't need to open her eyes to know who was snuggling right behind her, lightly nipping at her neck.

"Mmm, good morning," Elena moaned as she shifted her back against his chest.

Damon smiled, "Good morning to you too," he replied in a husky low tone before pulling a couple strands of hair out of her face before he whispered in her ear, "It's still early, you can go back to sleep."

Elena stretched, feeling her muscles tighten and ache as if she had done some vigorous workouts the day before – well, she kind of had. She smiled before shaking her head, "No, I'm awake now…and it seems like you're definitely awake too."

"I've been awake for a while now – fulfilling my vampire boyfriend quota and watching you sleep," Damon smirked before returning to nuzzle her neck, his arm tightened around her petite waist.

"Damon…" Elena began to protest, yet unable to hide the smile spreading across her face.

"This is how it should have been," he whispered, lightly running his fingers down her upper arm.

Elena lifted up head to peer over her shoulder at Damon to clarify.

"We should have woken up together like this that morning. I wish we did," Damon stated, before wrapping his arms tighter around her, burying his nose in the crook of her neck.

"I do too," Elena smiled as she turned over to face him, "But you're here now and soon we'll be home, helping Jenna and Ric with their wedding, and waking up like this in the Boarding House every morning…together."

"I hope so. I've been so worried about you," Damon admitted, brushing his thumb against her cheek, "I've hardly slept or eaten with you away like that."

Elena sat up slightly, concern evident on her face, "Have you fed?"

"I've had enough to sate my appetite for now. Though I'm not sure where I'll get my next meal if we are stuck here for a week or more," Damon pondered as he rubbed Elena's arm, trying to reassure her.

"You know you can always…feed on me."

Damon stared up at her with a hard gaze before he turned away and shook his head, "I bite you for a completely different reason, Elena. You are not a meal to me, never."

"I don't mind."

"Well, I do." Damon raised his voice, causing it to reverberate against the room's walls.

Elena turned away from me before muttering her apology.

"Elena," Damon sighed with regret as he sat up so he could turn her, lightly directing her face to look back at him, "I bite you so I can connect with you on a deeper level that neither one of us has ever known. Now, I don't want to fight about this, so can we not, please?"

Elena smiled and gave him a light peck upon the lips before pulling back, "Okay, we won't."

"If we're going to seal this deal with a kiss, I'm going to need a hell of a better one than that."

Damon leaned in to kiss her again and Elena was happy as always to reply – until a knock came from the window and a figure stepped inside.

"Elena, we need to talk for a - What the Hell…"

Damon wasn't sure what was going on or how to even handle it. Elena and his doppelganger were in bed together; both up against the head board of the bed with the sheet drawn up to cover them as if the two were lovers caught having an affair.

"Elena?" Damon called out as he looked around the room, figuring out what had exactly gone on that night without being the world's greatest detective.

"Damon, this is…well, you from the future. And Damon, this is you from the past," Elena said as she made the awkward introductions.

"This is same, um…me you said you had a relationship with in the future?" Damon asked, still in a state of confusion and semi-shock.

"Yea, that would be me," 'future' Damon smirked arrogantly as he exited the bed to get dressed.

"Damon…uh, 'past' Damon…you said we need to talk about something?"

"Yea, uh…" Damon began, trying to ignore his so-called future self just stroll right on by, "We'll talk later at the Boarding House."

Damon was about to leave before 'future' Damon added, "We would appreciate it if you could also invite our mutual witch friend for this meeting as well."

'Past' Damon turned on his heel and pinned the 'future' Damon to the wall, "What the hell? Got a problem there, buddy?"

"Don't call me buddy!"

"You realize how stupid this? Trying to confront the future version of yourself?"

"I don't care…you have no right to just…show up like this!"

"Really? Because I would assume I have every right to come and look for my girlfriend. I'm sure you would agree," Damon stared him down, just daring for him to argue that point.

'Past' Damon threw his hands in the air in a sign of defeat, turning back the way he came in. Elena just kept her head bowed as she kept the sheet close to her shoulder. The 'past' Damon took in Elena's appearance with a feeling of rejection, throwing one last hurt look Elena's way before heading back to the window.

The couple stayed silent as they re-dressed themselves after the awkward meeting.

"Elena, we need to talk as well," Damon stated while fixing his shirt, breaking the silence.

"What do we need to talk about?" Elena asked.

Damon decided to just be blunt about the whole situation. "You've slept with him, haven't you?"

Elena gasped and her eyes widened after hearing his accusation, thought going through her head was 'how could he know' instead of 'how could he ever say that'.

"I recognize the look in his eyes, Elena, and I know that's not from Katherine."

"How can you know?" Elena insisted out of her morbid curiosity.

"Because, at this point in time, I was enamored with you. Sure, I wasn't willing to admit that I was in love with you but I was ready to do anything for you despite my feeling for Katherine. And the way he's acting is the same way I acted after our one night stand."

Damon quickly crossed the room in a blink, backing Elena against the wall as he bore down on her, "So, Elena…are you going to answer my question?"

All Elena could do was nod, trying to stop the tears brimming in her eyes.

"Do you regret it?"

Again, Elena nodded before she cleared her throat, "I did afterwards because…I realized…he isn't you."

Damon pushed himself away from her, running his hands through his hair in frustration as he tried to gather himself.

"You're mad," Elena stated the obvious, not sure how to handle the situation or where they would go from there.

"I…honestly don't know, Elena. I should be because you slept with another man but how can I when you slept with me? I don't know how to feel about this. Maybe I'm just upset that he got to experience something I would have to wait years for."

Elena shifted her weight between her feet as she hugged herself close, trying to think of anything to say to him because she knew the worst thing was to stay silent and let him come to his own conclusions.

"There are things he hasn't experience, not yet…some things even Stefan has never experienced."

Damon cocked his eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"The past version of you hasn't experienced my love…my sole affection," Elena stated as she made her way over to him slowly, cautiously approaching him as he seemed frozen in place.

"And I've never let him or Stefan bite me like you do…bite me where you do…share our blood at the same time like we do."

Damon took a deep breath before he let it all go as he embraced her, holding her close to his heart, "Let's not fight."

Elena nodded as she returned the hug, "Let's not. And I just want you to know that I'm really glad you're here."

Damon buried his nose into her neck, taking another calming breath before he replied, "Me too."

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading!**

**And thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and adds to story alerts and author alerts.**

**Special thank you very much to BadBoysAreBest (whose left a review on every chapter), KeepSaying, JamDourado, loonynerdxd9, Narutoske, and kat;  
>and thank you to - ayna93, ailuj14, cherryox, Lily Wolf, killerbunny117, spiritedghost, A pair of blue eyes, Guinevere.S, Holsw23, KaterinaPetrova (O.o okay…), queen88, and xxx<strong>

_Response to reviewers:_

So pretty much everyone who reviewed asked if Damon would find out Elena slept with his past self…well, of course he would. Just depends how he'll react to it, which will be explored more – in the next chapter. : P

Katherine is going to stay in 2014. It would be just too much and too confusing. So I think I'm going to end around the finale of S1, right before Founder's Day.


	14. Chapter 14

**a.n.:** Takes place right after "Blood Brothers". Hope you all enjoy.

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

It was late evening when Damon and Elena finally arrived at the Boarding House. They took their time walking there together, enjoying the crisp air as the sun set.

'Past' Damon met them at the door with a wave and a smirk, "Hello Elena and hello…me. Why don't you two come inside?"

"Where are Stefan and 'past' Elena?" Damon inquired as he took a seat in front of the blazing fire.

"Stefan's been having some issues with his blood lust lately, though I'm sure you two know about that already. Elena is with him though so hopefully they will be here shortly."

"I'm not sure if I want them to come…" Elena muttered, hoping both Damons would understand what she was talking about.

"Elena, you have to get this out of the way eventually," 'future' Damon reassured her, taking the seat next to her as the other Damon fixed himself a drink.

"Would you mind fixing me a drink as well?" Damon asked his past self, only to be given a glare in response.

Damon sighed before turning his attention back to Elena who seemed to be anxious by the way she was chewing her lip. "Elena?"

"I…sort of ran into my past self at the dance, Damon. She knows I'm here."

"Yeah…"

"How am I going to explain this to her?"

"Well, she is you so you'll know how to address things with -"

Elena cut him off, throwing her hand in the air with a sigh, "But that's the problem. I'll know how she'll react to this, especially if I tell her about you and me."

"And by you and me, you would mean?" 'past' Damon smirked as he twirled his drink in his hand.

Elena stood up as she glared right at Damon and marched her way across the room, "You said earlier we needed to talk, so let's talk."

"Right now?" 'past' Damon choked on his drink at her forwardness while 'future' Damon smirked in amusement.

"Yes, Damon – right now," she demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

"How about we discuss in private, maybe upstairs…so Elena and Stefan don't just walk in?"

Elena looked back at Damon on the couch and when he just shrugged at the two, she followed 'past' Damon up the stairs to his room.

As she entered, Elena tried to with hold back a shiver when she looked at his bed.

"When you left here the last time I said some things and I should, at the very least, apologize to you but I also need to get things off my chest and to make you understand."

Elena nodded with a sincere smile as she took a seat upon his comforter, patting the spot next to her, "I'm listening."

* * *

><p>Stefan and Elena entered the Boarding House quietly, hands interlocking after their whole ordeal and Stefan feeling like a renewed and better man.<p>

Damon looked up from his drink and the book he happened to pick up, "Hey, you're here," Damon announced, standing from the couch as the couple entered the room.

"Yea, we are," Stefan replied with a skeptical look.

"Just didn't expect you to come home so soon," Damon muttered as he watched Elena head towards the stairs, "Where do you think you're going?"

Elena turned around on the landing to give Damon her usual glare, "I know this is your house as well, Damon, but it's really none of your business. Besides, I'm just going up to Stefan's room. Good night."

Damon battled with himself if he should go after her, though his room wasn't close to Stefan's – but still, what if she overheard them talking in his room?

"Damon?" Stefan called out to him, probably wondering why he was staring at Elena.

"I..I'm fine, just a long couple of days, you know."

Stefan nodded before he turned to Damon with an intense stare, "Thank you."

Damon tried to keep his eye from widening as he realized where Stefan was going. The he racked his brain; trying to remember the conversation they had all those years ago.

"You're back on Bambi blood and I'm the big bad ass brother again, all's right with the world," giving his usual smirks as he continued to drink his scotch but marveling just how wrong those words sounded now.

"No, I mean it," Stefan stated, as he took a seat next to Damon, "Thank you for…helping her take care of me."

"You brood too much," Damon replied, words falling out of his mouth so naturally, "Everything in this planet is not your fault. My actions, what I do, is not your fault. I own them, they belong to me. You are not allowed to feel my guilt."

"You feel guilt?" Stefan questioned.

Damon had forgotten how weird it was once between them and how much of an arrogant prick he was himself. "If I wanted to…" Damon muttered, not sure he was sounding like his cocky self, "It's there."

Stefan nodded solemnly before getting up and Damon sighed, knowing what he was about to say wasn't what he was supposed to, "Stefan."

"I'm glad you're alright, really glad you decided to keep living."

Stefan frowned as he stood right in front of his brother, "You're going to say something about your always present threat of a lifetime of misery for me?"

"Hmm," Damon mused as he tried not to wince, "That's kind of overrated now. Just know I don't hate you, not completely anyway, Stefan. Besides, we have…we will have bigger and badder things to worry about."

Stefan was just about to ask what Damon was talking about until the sound of shattering glass reverberated through the walls.

* * *

><p>Stefan and Damon rushed upstairs to be greeted by a strange scene. Elena was leaning against the hallway wall with her back turned towards them, glass fragments scattered along the hardwood floor. Yet, Elena's attention was focused on the door in front of her with another Damon standing in the door frame, protectively in front of another Elena.<p>

The whole situation had Stefan questioning his own sanity. First Damon tells him he doesn't completely hate him and then he was seeing doubles of his girlfriend and brother.

"What is going on here?" Stefan asked with frustration clear in his voice as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"When I first saw you at the dance…I thought you were Katherine – you had to be but now…how can there be two Damons?" Elena gasped out, trying to come to a reasonable answer herself.

"I think it's best we go downstairs and…tell them everything," 'future' Damon suggested as he looked worryingly towards Damon and Elena standing awkwardly in the door way.

"I don't think we can explain this…not all of it." 'future' Elena muttered as she stepped in front of 'past' Damon, holding herself close as she tried to avoid the intense gaze from Stefan and her past self.

"Well, I can explain this to Stefan with 'other' Damon's help," 'past' Damon finally spoke as he continued to linger in the door frame of his bedroom.

"And what about me?" 'future' Elena turned back to stare at him in confusion.

"I think…or well, 'we' think it's probably best if you speak to yourself in person," 'future' Damon informed her, causing both Elenas to stare at him in disbelief.

Stefan and the two Damons made their way back to the living room, with a strong possibility of all three of them fixing themselves a stiff drink.

Elena wished she was with them instead of in Damon's room sitting on his bed while a pacing younger version of herself stayed silent for a couple minutes, every now and again shaking her head as she rubbed her temples.

"You're not Katherine?" she finally asked even though the question wasn't one of the necessary to ask.

"No, I'm not. I'm…well, this is going to be hard to believe…"

"I just learned vampires exist and my birth mother is one of them…I think I can handle anything."

'Future' Elena rolled her eyes before taking a deep breath, "I'm an older version of you sent here by Bonnie…from the future, and the second Damon out there is a future-version, who came to get me."

"You're right, that is hard to believe. And, wait,…how long have you been…here?"

"Here in this time? A couple weeks now. I was here right before the tomb was open."

"Did you know about the tomb vampires?"

Elena resisted rolling her eyes again, this wasn't the questions she needed to be answering but what could she do? The whole conversation felt surreal at the moment.

"Yes, I did…"

"And you didn't tell us about them?" Elena bit out as she cut her other self short.

"I told Damon…things haven't been easy since I came here. You have to understand that."

"No, I don't. You know of things that have yet to happen or so you claim. You could have stopped them!"

"Things like what? Shelia dying? Vicki turning? Look, this is not the conversation we need to be having right now, there are more important things to deal with."

"No…I want answers."

"And you'll get them…some of them- just not from me and not now."

"But you should have the answers I'm looking for…If you are who you claim to be."

"I am!" Elena practically jumped as she stood up from the bed and in front of her younger self, "But things happen at a certain time for a reason…it all does. So we need to focus because Damon and I need to…"

"You can't be me. You must be Katherine," her past self cut her off once again, much to Elena's growing annoyance.

"Why? Why do you keep insisting I'm Katherine? What? Do you want me to tell you some long past secret or memory to convince you? Because I don't have time for this…"

"I would never act this cruel...and I would have never slept with Damon." Her future self stated his obvious disgust at the idea.

Elena paused as she looked back at her past self once again, like some freaky mirror. "How do you know that? Were you spying on us or something?

"No…I just happened to come across you two on my way to Stefan's room when I heard you two talking…" 'past' Elena didn't even bother finishing her sentence, her judgy eyes already fixed on the imposter.

"Forgot how nosy I use to be," Elena muttered, "We just had sex, it was just a quickie, anyway," Elena stated simply, added a silent 'that time' in her thoughts.

"Why would I ever dare sleep with Damon? I'm with Stefan. I love Stefan and I always will," the past version stressed as she pointed to her heart as if her 'future' self cold never understand.

Elena managed to not scoff at how she was acting right now. Was this how she really was when she was younger? Of course, she remembered being so stuck in her ways that it took her dying and the deaths of others to finally break her out of it.

"It's Damon of all people; he's just some loose womanizer. Did you fall for his so-called charms or something? You can't possibly love - "

"Oh, grow up!" Elena stated bluntly to her past self, even though she wanted nothing more than scream at her instead. She was ignorant and naïve, immature and inexperienced.

"You have this stupid notion of how love is supposed to be!- but it's not. And I know for a fact you're not thinking about your future with Stefan because of what will come up when you do. You get old and he doesn't, but you don't want to think about living forever or having to make that choice. And while you try to figure that out and stay blindly loyal to Stefan, Damon gets hurt over and over again in the process. It's not like he doesn't despise himself enough without everyone adding to it… but you don't care because despite everything he's done, all you can see are his mistakes."

Elena had to take a breath after her rant before she could finish, "Saddest part of all is that…you are the only one he would ever bare his soul to, the only person he would want to change for – to make himself a better man – for you more than he could ever do by himself."

After she finished, the younger Elena looked upon herself with a mixture ranging from hate and fear to confusion. The two seemed like nothing alike and 'future' Elena couldn't wait to get back to her own time. Thought, she had a strange feeling her past self felt the same way.

'Past' Elena tried to unclench her fist as she finally gathered her thoughts, "Stefan, Bonnie, and I help _you_ and… '_future_' Damon get back to your own time, but as of right now, this conversation is over." And with that she marched out the bedroom door.

* * *

><p>Stefan stared at the two versions of his brother, not sure what to make of the whole ordeal. The one he had been talking to earlier revealed himself to be from the future, of all cliché places, while the other one, the present version of Damon, was upstairs with 'future' Elena. They had informed him of the current situation with the future versions of Elena and Damon – though he felt like they were leaving him in the dark about more than what happened upstairs.<p>

"So, are you going to tell me what you and 'future' Elena were talking about upstairs? What Elena possibly walked in on?"

Silence was his only answer and it seemed, for some unknown reason, neither one was willing to talk about it. Stefan wanted to try to ask more questioned until he heard the soft padding of converse making their way down the stairs followed by the rush of another set of shoes.

Elena watched as all three sets of eyes turned to stare at her and her past self. Both Damons watched hungrily with adoration, while Stefan just sort of stared between the two with some confusion, especially as the older version like she was some stage show oddity. The look seemed to go unnoticed by both women, even while the younger version walked straight to him to give him a fierce kiss without so much as a word before pulling herself closer to his side. 'Future' Elena just looked away, stealing a glance at the two Damons.

Everyone in that room knew so many things were going on in that house and being left unsaid.

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading!**

_Response to reviewers and readers:_

Some of you have been asking some excellent questions and believe me when I say I am ecstatic that so many of you are thinking about this and pondering the outcome. Sadly, I can't exactly answer your questions without giving away spoilers and ruin the story.  
>Such as:<br>Is 'past' Damon going to forget Elena when she goes back to the future?  
>How does 'future' Damon not remember anything happening in 2010 with 'future' Elena?<br>Wouldn't the two Damon's (as well as the two Elena's) meeting cause a paradox?  
>Is 2014 going to change when Damon and Elena get back?<br>etc, etc, etc.  
>All I am going to say about the ending is that it all has to do with the spell. The story isn't dealing with time travel as much as it is dealing with magic.<p>

One question I can answer – Is what Elena did consider cheating? Physically – no, emotionally – yeah, kind of.

I do think one question you guys should be asking is why does Damon seem to be keeping his calm in 2010, even when confronted by his past self? Of course, I can't answer that one either.

If I say anything more, then I'll give too much away.


	15. Chapter 15

**a.n.:** Nothing I can say will make up for how long it took to get this chapter out … … …  
>So, what did you think of the season premiere? I know, how could they kill Andie off so quickly! This is a Damon-Elena chapter, so hope you all enjoy.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

Elena was either ready to pull her hair out or collapse as she reached Damon's room, she just wasn't sure which one as she opened the door while Damon followed silently behind. Once she reached the bed, she silently sat down and rested her head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he gently rubbed her shoulders.

"No, Damon…I'm not."

"We're going to be here a while so why don't you try to relax?" Damon suggested as he motioned towards the bed.

She shook her head, "I can't relax with everything…Elena…I mean, my past self – she knows, all of it. You…me…the other you."

With a sigh, Elena threw herself back upon the bed, "I've messed everything up, Damon and I have no clue what's going to happen when we get back to our own time…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" Elena questioned as she sat up, Damon just shrugged in response.

"Don't worry about it? How can I _not_ worry about it? Damon, our whole future could be ruined because of things I've done!"

Damon raised his hands signaling her to calm down, "Just…try not to worry too much. If you're right, then the damage is done and we can't do much about it can we?"

Elena's eyes narrowed before crossing her arms across her chest, "Are you not telling me something, Damon?"

Damon scowled before he shook his head, "Where would you get an idea like that?"

"We promised to be completely honest with each other when we started dating," she chose to remind him, her frustration growing.

"I don't exactly remember agreeing to that, just you mentioning it…" he spoke as his eyes drifting away from her to some corner of the room.

"Damon…"

Suddenly he was in front of her, eyes trained only on her as he drew his hands against her cheeks, "If I'm not telling you everything it's because I can't. We will get home and I'm going to make sure you're safe, okay?"

Elena gave him a small smile before taking his hands in her own, "I'd never doubt that. I just really hate when you keep things from me…"

"Even when it's for your own good?" Damon smirked before Elena rolled her eyes.

"I think I'm going to lay down for a bit," she informed him as she pulled away and then went over to the bed, kicking off her chucks as she went.

"Sounds like a plan," Damon responded, suddenly on the bed without his boots and jacket, hands behind his head like he was back in her room again.

Elena laid down beside him, taking his hand within hers again as they stared into each other's eyes. Yet, she had to tear her gaze away to collect her thoughts.

"I don't remember a time when I did not care about you in some way…" she began, eyes searching around the ceiling above her. Damon just waited for her continue while his thumb slowly caressed her hand.

"Just trying to remember all those times I really hated you and thought I could never forgive you…seem kind of trivial compared to everything we've been through. Yet, seeing the reactions of her face when I told her…remembering when I saw you nothing more than some selfish vampire who was the brother of the guy I happen to be dating..."

Damon threw her a weird look, "What?" she questioned as she turned to face him.

He just shrugged before answering, "Just thought you were going to call me a self serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

"People tend to throw that around a lot when talking about you, don't they?"

"I'm use to it."

"Are you getting use to not being hated by everyone anymore?"

"Nope," he smiled, popping his 'p' like a lollipop.

Elena sighs before turning on her side to face him fully, "You've come such a long way since then…since 'now'."

Damon nodded, "Thank you."

Elena smiled and moved to rest her head upon his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist, knowing exactly what he was thanking her for. She responded the only appropriate way, "I love you."

Damon took in a breath, it had been a while since he heard those words and probably even longer since Elena had said them – he hoped. He turned his head to kiss her crown of hair, "I love you too."

Elena's eyes drifted close but the smile remained upon her lips as she drifted to sleep. Damon watched over her, deciding to stay with her for a little while before he would remove himself from her embrace so she could get some sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Elena seemed to be drifting through the Boarding House – not exactly sure what she was doing or what time she was in. Just that she was heading down to the basement for some reason.<em>

_As she opened the dungeon door, she noticed the two water bottles filled with blood in her arms. She let the door open completely, her attention to the back wall in front of her with a shabby brunette young man chained to it._

"_Stefan…" she called out, causing him to raise his head up from his hands – a small smile on his lips when he saw her._

"_Hey…" he replied weakly, eyeing the bottles in her hands._

"_I thought you might be hungry. One's human and one's animal."_

"_You shouldn't have."_

"_Stefan, it's not trouble at-"_

"_I mean you really should have, Elena. You shouldn't have come down here."_

"_Everyone's upstairs, they'll hear me if I have any problems," she kept vague – not wanting to insinuate he would be the cause._

"_You always have to do things your own way, don't you? God, I never understood that."_

_Elena froze at his words before continuing her way to him, handing him both bottles before taking a large step back._

_Stefan guzzled down one bottle, tossing it aside once finished before he scoffed at the second, "I can't drink this crap."_

"_Stefan…you know you have to."_

"_Why? So I can be weak and pathetic again?" he scoffed as he tossed the other bottle._

_Elena gave him a hard gaze before retrieving the bottle and handing it to him again, "I didn't think you were pathetic…or weak."_

"_Because you didn't know any better."_

_Elena sighed, crossing her arms like they would be enough to protect her, "I want to believe your getting better, Stefan. I want to help."_

"_You shouldn't…not after everything," he stated as he bowed his head down again, toying with the bottle in his hands._

"_Stefan…" Elena sighed, trying to figure out what she could possibly say._

"_You don't have to say anything Elena. There's nothing you can say."_

"_Stefan…we're going to help you and-"_

"_That wasn't what I was talking about, Elena. You know, I thought I was so clear back at that shack but I guess not."_

_Elena threw him a confused look before she finally asked, "What are you saying, Stefan?"_

"_I don't want your help, Elena. I chose this on my own. I _chose_ to leave you," Stefan stated bluntly, his voice rising with each sentence._

"_Stefan…you're not thinking straight…after everything with Klaus," Elena argued, trying to ignore the tears welling up in her eyes._

"_Or maybe you just don't want to face it."Stefan yelled at her, leering as far as he could forward with the chains._

"_Stefan…why are you acting like this…"_

"_Why don't you just leave? Leave me alone like you were suppose to in the first place!"_

"_Stefan-" but she cut herself off when she felt a hand reach for her shoulder. _

_Elena turned around to stare right into her own brown eyes._

"_Katherine…"_

_The older woman spared her a sad smile before directing Elena towards the door, "Go see Damon, and I'll take it from here."_

_Elena nodded, trying to ignore the growl from Stefan when Damon's name was mentioned. She reached the door with timid steps, half wanting to turn around when she got to the door. Yet, she shut the cellar door without a look back._

_Slowly she climbed the stairs to Damon's room – her feet seemingly knowing where to go on their own. Though, it didn't surprise her since she spent a lot of time in his room while taking care of his wounds or just to talk. It felt less foreign to her now to go to Damon's room than Stefan's. _

_She sighed as she stopped to look at Stefan's door, hoping Damon had the decency to clean it up after he trashed it. She hadn't been in there since but figured Stefan probably wouldn't be happy to see his room in such a state._

'_Though he's not exactly a happy camper right now…' Elena mused as she reached her destination._

_Timidly, she opened the door just enough before sticking her head in, "Damon?"_

* * *

><p>Damon made his way downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing a cup from the cabinet before turning to the refrigerator. He opened it, sighed and closed it, before opening it again to retrieve a half gallon carton. Preparing the drink with a cinnamon stick, he popped into the microwave before he leaned again the counter and turned to his own thought.<p>

_Damon looked up from his book to see Elena's head poking through his doorway, "Hey, what's up?" he smiled back at her while lounging on his bed._

_Elena entered before crossing her arms over her chest, keeping her head down, "Katherine suggested I come up and see you, that's all."_

_Damon sat up, motioning her to join him on the bed, "I have a feeling that's not all of it."_

_Elena took her time before stopping beside the bed, lightly touching his smooth chest._

_Damon looked down at her hands, thinking to himself how small they looked before speaking up, "It seems that I'm all healed up; just trying to take it easy before I go downstairs and see Stefan."_

_Elena nodded, walking to the other side of the bed and then climbing in bed beside him, "I went to talk to him."_

_Damon sighed, "Why would you do that?"_

"_I had to…"_

"_Elena," he sighed again, rubbing his temples as he stared at the ceiling, "You know he's not in his right state of mind at this moment."_

"_I know… still doesn't make what he said- has said hurt any less."_

_Damon reached out, slightly stroking her arm in comfort "He's probably acting this way because of what you did the night we got him back…"_

"_What did I do?"_

_Damon tried to hide his smirk, unbelieving she would be so ignorant of the fact, "You chose me over him, for once."_

_Elena propped herself on her elbow so she could look over him._

"_When I was pinned down by the hybrid you ran towards me instead of Stefan. You saved me instead of running to Stefan."_

"_I didn't even think about it," Elena gasped as she remembered the moment Damon was talking about._

_Damon gave her a scrutinizing look before letting it go and settling back on the bed. Elena settled back down as well yet wasn't as willing to drop the subject._

"_All I remember thinking was I wouldn't want to see you get hurt. I couldn't handle seeing you lying on the ground wounded…or dead. I didn't even think about Stefan…" her voice faded off._

_Damon just stayed silent, waiting...hoping for her to continue. _

"_I should have thought…I should have tried to save him."_

"_Why?" Damon asked in a detached tone, masking his hurt feelings._

"_He needs me…"_

"_I need you," Damon blurted out, his heart right on his sleeve._

"_I know…but you don't need me the same way he does, the same way I need you. Right now he needs someone to remind him of his humanity, of the old Stefan."_

"_And you think that's you?" Damon remarked back._

"_Who else could it be?"_

_The two stayed quiet for a moment before Elena spoke again._

"_But…when I think of Stefan…and then you, I can't imagine my life or a world without you. Maybe that's why I ran for you instead of Stefan. I've already lost him a couple of times but whenever I think of loosing you – I can't bare that thought."_

_Damon remained silent, just staring back into her eyes while several emotions flickers between them. He wasn't sure how to feel at that moment, especially since the situation reminded him of when he was dying – except she was the one doing the confession now. Was she dying?_

_No, no one was dying this time. Yet, it didn't help when she started crying and gently cupping his cheek with her hand, making him think she was trying to get across something neither one of them should admit._

"_Elena…" Damon said in a supposed warning voice, even though when it came out it sounded like pleading._

"_I can't lose you, never. I always want you in my life and you've stayed. Despite how I've treated you and denied what I feel towards you, you've never left."_

"_Elena…" it seemed like that was the only thing Damon could say, the only thing left on his mind._

_Elena smiled back before her eyes drifted down to his lips. Then she kissed him, except this time he was strong enough to kiss back. His arms snaked its way around her waist to pull her closer and he made sure it lasted longer than the first one, though Elena didn't seemed to mind._

_When she did finally pull back she gave out a sigh that sounded like pure bliss to Damon before whispering against his lips, "I love you."_

Damon was knocked out of his thoughts by the excessive beeping of the microwave, wiping the smile he had away from his lips. He quietly opened the small door to retrieve the hot beverage, placing it on a tray with some snacks before he headed back up to Elena.

He had to take a moment for himself when he saw her so peaceful on his bed. Eventually he moved, placing the tray on the nightstand and taking a spot next to her. Yet, even when he was trying to be silent not to wake her she must have sensed him in her sleep.

Elena woke, her eyes going directly to Damon when she first woke, "Hey…"

"Hey yourself, have a good nap?"

Elena nodded before her eyes moved to the warm cup sitting next to her, "Apple cider?"

"Yep, for you."

She smiled as she took the mug into her hands and took a hearty drink of the cider. She set the mug back in its place before turning back to him, "You know what I had a dream about?"

"No, Elena – I don't read minds."

She swatted at his arm before answering, "The first time I told you that I loved you."

"No, you didn't," he immediately answered back with a glare.

"Yea, I did."

"No, you didn't because I was just thinking about that downstairs."

Elena smiled before making one of those suppose to be cute awing noises and Damon grimaced.

"Okay Meg Ryan, where the hell are you hiding?"

"What?"

"I will not have my relationship turn into one of her romance movies," he answered as his eyes searched the room.

"Hey, I liked her in 'When Harry met Sally'."

"I did too, but everything else was complete shit."

Elena couldn't help but laugh as she pulled Damon close for a kiss. However, Damon halted when his hand brushed up against something before pulling away from her completely. In his hand was a small, slightly charred piece of paper that he quickly read over before tossing it to her. Looking down at the slip, Elena's eyes widened as she realized who the piece of paper was from and how it got there.

"It's time," he announced before he flashed downstairs to inform the others.

**~Ѱ~**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Ahh, so much mush – but I felt like it added something; at least, it's supposed to. Next chapter will be the all important climax of the story.**

**Sadly, I've returned to classes and I'm pretty sure most of you know how that feels.  
>But this story will be finished! It just might take a while… Yet, there is a light at the end of this tunnel – meaning there are only couple chapters left and a possible epilogue. <strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**a.n.:** So…I know it's been quite a while but life has this habit of throwing obstacles at you at the least opportune time and…you don't need my excuses, just sorry this took so very long to finish and post.  
>And here we are- and I'll be honest, I had this ending planned for a while and there were a couple times I wanted to change it (based on the reviews I got) but I've been hinting at this through out the story. Just hope you like this chapter. (I really hope you do.) And again, sorry for the long wait.<p>

**~Ѱ~**

**2010**

After explaining things to Bonnie, the group gathered in the living room to prepare the spell. Bonnie organized the supplies she needed and then took out her trusted grimoire before flipping to the right page.

"So, from what , er…Damon has told me - for us to start the spell Elena needs to be in the place she was when she first arrived here," Bonnie informed the group as she looked over her grimoire.

"Well, I was here at the Boarding House…"

"In Stefan's room?"

Elena tried not to visibly wince in front of her best friend, "Does it need to be that specific?"

Bonnie just nodded, "So where were you when this all went down?"

Elena glanced around to everyone's faces – Stefan and Bonnie were obviously curious while the past Elena wouldn't meet her eyes and both of the Damon…Elena wasn't sure but they seemed to be holding their breath. This was the drama she remembered. All was needed was Caroline's bouncy personality and the rest of the gang there. Letting out a sigh, Elena moved closer to her Damon so she could place her hand in his.

"I was sleeping in Damon's room and I woke there – but in this time instead."

As expected, Stefan and Bonnie's faces were full of shock and confusion. Elena didn't even need to look at her younger self's expression to know what she was thinking. However, Elena was surprised when she looked at the two Damon-s faces. They both were taken aback but it wasn't shock as much adoration and pride reflecting in their blue eyes. Damon's hand gripped hers tighter as they turned back to the group, waiting for someone to speak.

"You and Damon…in the future…together?" Bonnie spoke up after she managed to keep her grimoire from falling out of her hands and hitting the floor.

Elena nodded; a strange smile appeared on her lips as she waited anxiously for her friends' reactions. Bonnie calmly set down her grimoire, and made her way to Elena. Damon released her hand as Bonnie stood in front of her friend.

"Is this why I…I mean, my future self sent you here, back into the past?"

Elena gave her friend a simple nod since she had been expecting a conniption from her friend instead.

"At first I felt like you were acting out of hate or even selfishly when making the choices for me but after spending some time thinking…I think I know why your future self did it. She did it for the same reason you left after your grandmother died. You don't want to lose me or Caroline or anyone else."

Bonnie nodded, tears brimming in her eyes, "I thought I was going to lose you after your parents died as well. It always seems like when things start to return to normal, something goes wrong."

Elena smiled before pulling Bonnie into a hug, "Things are never normal but trust me when I say even though we've lost people we love …we've managed to be happy."

Bonnie smiled, thankful the little information Elena could spare. She gave her one more hug before collecting her grimoire.

Elena turned to Stefan, waiting his reaction but his eyes were dead set upon future Damon. "Can you honestly tell me you love her?"

Damon wanted so much to roll his eyes – even at this point in history it was kind of obvious to everyone, except Stefan it seemed but still…"I came for her, didn't I?"

Elena playfully bumped against his arm and then he sighed, answering seriously, "I love her as much, maybe even more, than I loved our mother, Stefan. I would do anything for her."

Stefan's eyes went wide before he gave a nervous smile and nodded in understanding.

"Listen, Stefan, Bonnie I…I feel like I should explain…"

"Elena, there's really no need," future Damon began to reassure her, but she cut him off.

"Damon, I want to. Whatever happens when we get to our future I want them to know now how I feel and what happened over all these years."

"But it is really not necessary," he informed her again, glancing at the old grandfather clock before back to her, "We should be focusing on the spell right now."

"Damon, I get the feeling you're not telling me something - _again_."

He really hated when she did that, never truly seeing he had her best interests at his heart.

'Most of the time,' he added as an afterthought while Elena stared him down, "Listen, Elena. I know you want to be informed of everything but please believe me when I'm say I'm trying to protect you."

"Damon, we've dealt with so much – what could you possibly need to protect me from?"

"Yourself."

Bewildered, Elena stared straight at Damon with her brown doe eyes, some worry and fear evident in his blue ones as they drifted from her now and again to over the room.

"Damon, what is it?"

Elena's eyes fought to tear themselves away from his, turning to scan the noiseless room. Stefan, Bonnie and past Elena and Damon seemed to have vanished from the room. "Damon…"

Damon took her hand into his, drawing her back to him, "Listen to me, focus on us and the now, alright, Elena? And don't worry about what happen to the others."

"But what happened? Is this part of the spell?"

"Yea, sort of…" he sighed, rubbing her arms reassuringly in a futile attempt to keep her calm, "Its complicated and I'm not sure we have the time right now…"

Elena seemed to shake out her fearful shock to glare at him, "Then make time, Damon."

Damon sighed, ran his hand through his arm as he tried to explain something to his girlfriend he didn't completely understand himself. "As simple as I can put it, which I can't, you kind of not exactly in 2010."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I said to Bonnie when she tried to explain the spell to me. It's a powerful and overly complicated one that deals with solely affecting you rather than your past to teach you some sort of misguided lesson."

"So, does that mean this doesn't affect our future?"

Gently, Damon placed his palm against Elena cheek as a reminder they were both there before he answered her, "Only if you allow it too."

Damon halted her before she could begin asking questions, "The thing is…I didn't tell you because Bonnie suggested that if this 'reality' is based around you and if your conscience somehow changed…"

"We might be stuck here or something like that?"

"Or it falls apart and we are never seen or heard from again."

Elena gave a disgruntle sigh as she nestled her cheek into her boyfriend's aforementioned hand, "Thanks for not sugar coating it."

"We'll be fine…" Damon reassured her as he glanced quickly around the room, "But safe to say, the sooner might be for the better."

"So…it's a big deal you came after me?" Elena asked her final question.

"Elena, seriously …I'll always going to come after you if you need me," pulling her close as reassuringly rubbed her back and placed a light kiss on the crown of her head.

'Past' Damon made his reappearance down the stairs with downcast eyes, trying not to look directly at the couple, especially not Elena.

"The spell's ready," was all he said before he turned back up the stairs to his room.

* * *

><p>Bonnie stood in the middle of the room awkwardly while waiting for Damon to retrieve Damon and Elena. Looking around, she tried not to imagine the events that had probably taken place in that room or all the bodies taken out. Yet, Damon and Elena soon entered followed by the other, a more somber, Damon.<p>

Bonnie directed them where to stand as she opened her grimoire, preparing to chant before an idea struck through her. "Um, would you guys like to…maybe resolve things?"

Elena looked puzzled for a moment, "I thought we already explained everything to you and-"

Bonnie cut her off, "I mean, would you guys like to say goodbye?" she clarified, bobbing her head in Damon's direction.

Elena nodded in answer as Bonnie made her way back towards the door, "Okay, I'll give you guys a minute," before exiting, shutting the door behind her so the odd threesome could have a moment of privacy.

"Damon…I just want to begin by saying – thanks for everything, you've done to help me, I mean."

Damon stalked closer to the two with a mixed expression clear on his face, "Thanking me…I thought you would just want to forget all of this – especially the way I acted towards you."

Elena left Damon's side to stand in front of the past version, taking his hand in hers just like the future version had done moments before, "You'll have to wait till I mature, figure things out … and just grow up."

Damon took a moment to make sure he said what he meant, "If I waited 150 years for Katherine, then I can wait for you, Elena."

She smiled at his words yet Damon gave himself a strange look.

"I was trying to be sentimental…" 'past' Damon informed you but his older self just smirked, "Doesn't suite you."

"Would you two stop I just…" Elena stepped in, "I hope I don't make you wait too long…"

"No, it's alright. I have something to look forward to now, something I'll stick around this town and live for. And maybe I'll even try to be a better man along the way…"

"Oh you'll definitely screw up along the way, that's for sure," Damon intervened, receiving a glare and disapproving but amusing shake of the head.

"If I screw up so much then how could Elena ever forgive me?" Damon pondered but dropped his smirk when he saw the uneasiness in his counterpart.

"You're worth it…both of you are."

Damon smiled again, "I won't forget this…"

Again, his counterpart scoffed, "You will – part of the spell."

Elena rolled her eyes and cut the two off again, "Bye Damon," she decided to finish with a short kiss before stepping back to 'future', her, Damon.

"Bye Elena and…thank you."

With those final goodbyes, Bonnie reentered the room, open her grimoire, and began to chant. Candles grew bright and the air sizzled as Damon and Elena faded, eventually vanishing hopefully to their own time. Concluding her spell, Bonnie closed up her books, blew out the candles and gave Damon an approving nod and onetime only smile.

But Damon's eyes were still glued to the spot they had been till he felt a reassuring hand pat his back along with Bonnie informing him, "They've gone home, Damon but I'm sure they won't forget about you anytime soon."

'How could she when she had a constant reminder by her side?' he questioned, but instead chose some snarky comeback for the young witch.

Except Bonnie seemed to have vanished when Damon turned around. He could have been confused but a feeling of sheer exhaustion soon came over him, managing to get over to his bed before flopping down on the soft comforter. The room soon faded from his vision, almost as if it was dissolving around him. But his eyes continued to grow heavy and finally shut as Damon drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>Elena fell back against the bed but she could not remember falling and now it felt like everything was spinning.<p>

"Elena?" she heard various voices call out, so many that sounded all too familiar.

Placing her cool hand against her forehead, she answered, "Not so loud please."

Yet suddenly she was being propped up by strong arms, looking behind her to see a smiling face with dark hair and clear blue eyes.

"Hey there, have a nice trip?"

Elena gave a humorless laugh before looking over group before her, smiled in relief at all the comforting memorable faces.

Bonnie stepped forward, "How are you feeling?" concern and quilt soaking through her voice.

"Could be better but I think I'll be fine now."

"Listen, Elena I should explain…"

Bonnie opened her lips but nothing came forth until Damon stepped forward, "Why don't you three girls chit-chat while us guys go downstairs. I'm sure you three have some catching up to do," he said ushering the rest of the group from the room.

"Listen, Bonnie – it's okay, you don't have to explain anything since I kind of understand. And anyway, I'm…we're home now. Thanks for making sure we got here safely."

Bonnie smiled after an encouraging nudge from Caroline, "For everything I did, I'm really sorry, Elena. But it's great to have both of you back…"

**~Ѱ~**

**Thanks for reading!**

**I could go into great depth about the 'spell' or I could spare you all a long author's note. So if you have questions just leave a review or a private message and I'll do my best to answer. Just know- Yes, Elena was sent somewhere and could have been in real danger but no, it was never really 2010. (That one part alone is why this chapter took two months to complete)**


	17. Epilogue

Important**: Read Ch 16 before this; it is now completed in its entirety. Thank you. Hope you all enjoy this last chapter.**

**~Ѱ~**

**2014**

Elena accompanied Bonnie and Caroline down the stairs to the front door after they had their lengthy discussion.

"So its agreed," Caroline chimed cheerfully, "We're going to at least have a brides maid brunch and try to do something together after the wedding."

The girls smiled, parting on good terms and friendly farewells, but Elena couldn't help but sigh with relief after she shut the door with her back. Pushing herself away, Elena headed into the living room where she flopped down onto the couch, resting her head against its back.

"So…how did the girl-talk go?" Damon tried to sound dick-ish but it came out worried as he took a seat next to her.

"It went as well as could be expected…Caroline made all these plans for us to bond later it just…"

"Go on…"

"I didn't realize I missed so much…it feels like I was gone longer than a couple months."

"It happens, especially after high school, people drift apart."

"Not our group, not after everything we've been through."

Damon just shrugged before placing an arm around her, "You guys...girls will fix things and be the best of pals again."

Elena nudges him in the ribs but then relaxed against his chest, "I hope you right."

"Well, I could be. Besides, we've faced worse…"

Elena simply nodded as he mind wandered through the past and present and all the events that had led them there.

_**S**__he stared down at her sneaker clad feet and the shattered glass that was scattered all over her titled kitchen floor._

"_Did you really need to do that?" she questioned as her eyes drifted back up to the blue eyed man in front of her._

"_Better than striking out at you, Elena…or would you want that? Never know with your masochistic tendencies…"_

"_You're one to talk."_

"_Well, I was never that way until I met you!"_

_Elena paused before trying to take a steady breath, "Damon…this isn't why you're here…why we're here. I wanted to try and talk to you about…"_

"_About us riding cheerfully into the sunset with our happily ever after, I know. Problem is I burst into flames in sunlight…"_

_She couldn't help but rub her temples, this is how she wanted this to go – she didn't want to fight with him and even when they were fighting, she just wanted to kiss him and be close to him instead._

"_Why are you fighting me on this when you want it just as bad as I do?"_

"_Oh, I've wanted it worst and longer than you."_

"_All the more reason why we shouldn't be fighting over it."_

"_God, Elena – you know why we are fighting over it?"_

"_No, please enlighten me, Damon."_

"_Because it would never work between us," he declared, even throwing his arms in the air for added effect._

_Elena let go of her held breath, a feeling a defeat spreading through her, "So you rather we never tried…"_

"_Rather never begin than…Elena, I don't want to see you hurt and I can't handle being hurt…like that…again."_

"_Damon I can…" she began to speak words of comfort before taking a 180, "No, enough dancing around one another. I want to be with you and you want to be with me, that's that," she stated determined as she stepped across the broken glass to stand in front of him._

"_But…Elena, what if this doesn't work out or ends badly, like I imagine it will."_

_She shrugged and continued to tread over the broken fragments, crunching under her as she reached out to him._

"_Then we'll be happy knowing we at the least tried," Elena lightly rested her palms upon his cheeks, both their eyes locked on the others. A spark of a feeling between the two that was all too familiar. _

_Damon dipped his head down to meet hers and Elena responded as his hands slowly travel down her sides, wrapping his arms securely around her lower back._

"_Hold on," he murmured into her ear as he hands rested on her bottom. _

_Damon gave her one more meaningful glance before he lifted her up. Elena wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders and her long bare legs around his waist as he balanced her. Reaching with one free hand, he removed her shoe while keeping her secure around him, before switching hands to remove the other._

"_Don't put your feet down" was the last thing Damon whispered to her as he carried her over the glass and out of the chaotic kitchen of that small apartment, then removing his own shoes as he move across the carpet of the living room to her own bedroom. _

_No words were said between the two till the next morning when the sun rose through the blinds over the sleeping couple. They laid together hands intertwined on top of cheap sheets and a flimsy comforter. But neither one could think of any other place they rather be._

"**E**lena?"

She blinked out of her daze, dismissing her thoughts as she turned to back to Damon, who wore a quizzical but amused look of his face.

"And she's back," he chuckled silently with a smug smile, "But where did she go?"

"Just lost in thought, sorry…"

"Okay…just you had that far-off dreamy look in your eyes and I got scared for a minute."

"Really?" she played along.

"Of course, had me worried you were planning our wedding or something like that."

"No, nothing like that; just remembering something from a while ago," she reassured him, Damon pulling his hand across his forehead in mock relief.

"But speaking of weddings…"

"Oh god, here she goes-"

"No, Damon, I was thinking," she interrupted him before getting more serious, "That experience, traveling back sort of made me realize something important. I…can't imagine my life without you Damon. Ever since you've become a part of it, I could never remove you from it completely and…what I'm saying is…I want to be with you."

"Aww, Elena. I want to go steady too. Little awkward though since we're already-"

But Elena cut him off again, "What I meant was I want to be with you in the eternal sense, I want you to turn me Damon."

Damon felt frozen for a moment, "But what about the normal life? Husband, babies and growing old?"

Elena laughed, pulling him close to look him dead in the eyes, "Do you really think I could be with another guy after you?"

Damon shrugged as he tried to look away, "I don't know, you never know. You might meet some regular human guy…like Matt."

"I'm not going to end up with Matt or any human guys; I want to end up with you."

He turned back to her, a fragile hope in his eyes, "You do?"

Elena smiled sweetly, her words only a whisper as she answered back, "Yes."

Damon wanted to break into a laughing fit after this revelation but shook it off, instead deciding a kiss would suite the moment better.

"Not on the couch!" a voice yelled from upstairs causing Damon and Elena to break apart laughing.

"When did he get here?" Elena asked as she sat back up along with Damon.

"Um…They arrived the day you disappeared."

"They?"

Stefan and Katherine made their entrance together, Stefan taking a seat in the armchair while pulling Katherine into his lap.

Elena smirked, shaking her head as she curled against Damon's side as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling them closer together. The couples continued to watch the fire as they discussed how their lives had been and plans for the future. Yet as the night wore on Elena's eyes closed while she drifted into a peaceful sleep knowing she was safe – and exactly where and when she was suppose to be.

**The End**

**~Ѱ~**

**And so that's it…**

**I'm just so glad I kept to my goal and finished/ posted right before the new calendar year. I hate having stuff filter over into the next year. (doesn't everyone? : )**

**And I want to say thank you for your reviews, the positive and criticism. But also thank you for adds favorites and alerts. I had fun writing my first TVD story, especially when I knew so many were reading it, and enjoying reading it too! **

**Until I write again I want to wish everyone who seems this an awesome year (despite what time of year it is). Just hope you all are able to reach your goals or at least have some fun doing so. **

**Thank you all so much.**


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